This Time Of Year
Written by: wizardtho
Story dedicated to: Bella MacLeod
Chapter 07:
Falling asleep my second night in Volterra was not as easy as my first. This came from the knowledge that sometime within the next 12 to 14 hours, I would be burning in Hell, the fire of the change racing through my veins.
After tossing and turning for 3 hours, torturing myself while wondering how and when, I sat up with a huff. I threw the covers back, determined to go tell Demetri I couldn’t stand not knowing anymore. Just as I was getting ready to stand, I heard a knock on the door, so I sighed, “Come in.”
Demetri took one look at me as he opened the door, then shook his head before coming to lean back against the headboard, feet crossed at the ankle. He opened his arms to me, so I laid my head on his chest while pulling the covers back over my lower half. I sighed when I got comfortable, “I was getting up to go find you, but you knocked.”
He hummed in the back of his throat, “Want to talk about why?”
I let out a breath, then just went for it. “I thought I was okay with not knowing... that it would be better. This waiting and wondering are driving me crazy, though. Knowing what’s going to happen, but not when it will, I think is worse than seeing it coming. Does that make sense?”
Demetri rested his chin on the top of my head, then hummed, “Do you want to know what I had planned? The brothers already know, as I needed to have them reassign my duties.”
I nodded, so he smoothed his thumb along my bitten wrist as he explained, “I was going to wait until you were asleep, resting comfortably. My bite would have woken you enough to see it was me before the venom fully took hold.”
I nodded, thankful that he told me, but knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep still. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my eyes to his, then offered him my wrist. With a raised eyebrow from him, I explained, “I’m too wired to sleep anytime soon, and you’re right here.”
His brows furrowed for a split second, then suddenly I was against my pillows with Demetri hovering partially over me from the side. He studied me for a long moment before whispering against my wrist, which was held gently in his grasp, “Close your eyes, Isabella. Think again about what you told me earlier… how it made you feel to think about my venom inside you. You will be safe and cared for. I will not leave your side.”
My eyes had slid closed, but at the feeling of his teeth slicing cleanly into my wrist, they popped open to meet Demetri’s. His eyes fluttered as he swallowed once, then met mine again as the burn started in my hand and lower arm. I winced and let out a loud whimper, but Demetri still held the bite for a good minute. It was when I couldn’t hold back my scream that he finally released my wrist, licked the wound to seal the venom inside, then cradled me to him while offering, “This pain will cease in 3 days, Isabella, and I will be here when you wake to your new life.”
Dem POV
Less than an hour after Isabella started screaming, I heard a knock on the wall at the top of the stairs. I knew who it was, and was expecting some kind of half-assed joke, so I sighed, “Yes, Felix?”
He grinned as he leaned against the doorway to Isabella’s room, “She’s got quite a set of lungs on her, doesn’t she?”
I rolled my eyes, then noticed him staring at Isabella’s uncovered legs. With a snarl, I whipped the covers over her lower half again, “Is there something you needed, other than to eye my changeling like a sexual conquest?”
Felix backed up a step while raising his hands in surrender, “Whoa, Boss. It’s not like that. I was just wondering how she got a scar that bad on her leg, and so many little ones. Granted, they’ll be gone soon enough, but I was just thinking it must be a hell of a story. That’s all.”
I gave him a curt nod, but offered, “When she first told me she had a run-in with a sadistic nomad, I had joked, telling her she didn’t know the meaning of the word. Apparently, my little warrior really did know the meaning. This nomad, James, toyed with her while videotaping her torture. He smashed her leg by stomping on it, threw her around to make mirror glass cut her all up…”
I pointed to the several hundred small scars that humans would never notice, then continued, “Then, the more he toyed with her, and the more she screamed, the more excited the bastard got. You should have heard how broken her voice was when she explained how his bite mark made her feel. She swore he would have raped her, if he’d had the opportunity after biting her, then again once she woke from the change. The pure fear and panic in her eyes…”
I shook my head, then explained, “That’s why I bit her there… to override any of his venom still trapped in the skin. It would be just my luck that she’d try carving the mark from her skin to be rid of him. Or worse yet, flip out and run while her newborn instincts are ruling her, not remembering that he can no longer hurt her because he’s ash.”
Felix agreed with a nod, “Yeah… that’s pretty fucked up. At least she has you now. As for why I’m here… Jane’s team left right before your girl’s first scream. Alec’s team was 5 minutes behind that, and Santiago’s team was gearing up as I left the hall to come here. I just came to see if you needed anything before I left for Belfast with my team.”
I shook my head, “No, I think I’m set. I put you on Belfast for a reason, Felix. Look close… at the very first sign of abuse, you’ll need to gain the female’s trust, and explain that you are bringing them back here so she can be free of him. If there’s no abuse, you’ll have to figure out the underlying cause and go with your gut.”
Felix nodded, “Got it, Boss.” He winced as Isabella arched and let out a piercing scream, then shook his head, “I don’t envy either of you at this moment. If you’re sure you don’t need anything, I’m out.”
He was gone before my head stopped shaking. I snickered, “Pussy,” knowing he would hear me.
Unsurprisingly he answered back with a deep chuckle, “At least I’m getting some. Night, Boss,” before I heard the main door close downstairs.
I rolled my eyes, but it was the unfortunate truth. I had never been one for mindless trysts. No one had truly piqued my interest in a long while… no one until Isabella, that is. I hadn’t told anyone, but Isabella’s strength of character and quick wit -along with her beauty even as a human- had intrigued me. The only one who did know was Aro, as he had touched my hand several times lately.
I let my thoughts wander, trying to guess which lower guard would be first on my shit list once Isabella woke. Just as I narrowed it down to 5 potentials, Isabella let out a sob as she tried clawing at her nightclothes. I hummed as I stopped her hands, “Alright, Sweetheart. It looks like your top is becoming too tight already. Give me just a minute to find one of your new sets, then I’ll change you so you’re a bit more comfortable.”
I was able to find the softest of her new lounge sets quickly, then carefully ripped the old set from her body. Just when I started to dress Isabella in the new set I had picked, I smelled Aro’s scent as the main door opened downstairs. I released a deep warning growl as I placed myself between Isabella’s unaware form and her bedroom door.
With a soft click of the door closing, Aro offered in a curious tone, “Demetri, I came to see how everything is coming along. Is there an issue I can help with? What seems to be the problem?”
In response, I couldn’t keep the snarl out of my voice, “The problem is you entering my quarters without warning while my changeling is vulnerable and nude. Step a single foot on those stairs, and I will detach your head… king or not.”
Though Aro did gasp slightly, he responded in a calming tone, “No need for threats, Demetri. Take care of your changeling. I will wait in your sitting area until you are through and Isabella is clothed.”
I didn’t move until I was positive Aro had stationed himself in a chair downstairs. Then Isabella cried out again, causing me to coo softly as I began dressing her, “There, there, Sweetheart. You’ll be more comfortable in just a moment.”
After settling her as comfortably as possible, I took the extra minute to dampen a cloth and fill a basin with cool water from the bathroom, then finally let out a breath. I called for Aro as I started carefully wiping Isabella’s face and neck. It only took seconds for him to appear in the doorway.
“How is she,” he inquired, but then continued, “Your reaction just now confirmed my suspicions of what I read from you earlier.”
I shook my head, “She is strong… astoundingly so, to fight as hard as she does. She’s not begged for death once, and I literally flooded her system with venom. I pumped venom into the wound for a full 2 minutes before sealing it.”
Aro smirked slightly, “You would not have needed more than one-tenth of that total to erase the small amount of lingering venom from the bite in Phoenix. Were you hoping to stake a claim so early?”
I shook my head, “Of course not. Isabella will come through her newborn phase and choose me -or not- of her own free will. Hell, I can already see myself having to kill at least 5 guards for not respecting boundaries within her first few months as a newborn. Though that fact will not help my cause, it is an unfortunate must of being her sire.”
Aro hummed, “If a guard does not respect and uphold the laws set, they do not deserve to wear the Volturi crest. Any resulting death will be seen as simply a sire protecting his childe.” Then he confirmed, “So you have acknowledged that you see her as a potential mate, not just a fling.”
I sighed, then said softly while gently wiping down the top of her chest and both arms, “You know as much as me at this point. I felt protective of her even before I started her change. She’s smart, has a good head on her shoulders, and is caring of those in her circle. Am I interested in her? Absolutely. She’s the first being in over 2 centuries that I have felt a genuine interest in… so yes, I can imagine a future with Isabella as my mate.”
Aro chuckled as he nodded to my whimpering changeling, “Let us not skip the fact that she was quite beautiful… even as a mere human.”
I groaned but nodded in reply, “Let us not… seeing as that fact alone will keep my life quite interesting for the next millennia or more.”
Aro chuckled deeply, “Ah, at the very least.” His features softened as he looked at Isabella’s pained face, then asked, “Has she refused your attention at any point?”
I shook my head, “My nearness seems to calm her, actually. I expected a protest when I went to change her. Her other clothes were already becoming too tight, and she began clawing at them. Not once did she try to fight me or cry out at me changing her.”
Aro nodded, “Good. Good news indeed. She is already learning to depend on you… to understand that you will take care of her needs and not hurt her. Watch carefully for any negative signs when she looks at her wrist, once she awakens. If we must do a grafting -which I doubt will be necessary- it is better to do it early, before fear of that scum cements itself into her vampire mind.”
I let out a soft snarl at the thought, but nodded, “I will.”
Aro sighed slightly, then finally stated his true reason for coming, “You know that Major Whitlock and his mate are still here, correct?”
My nod was silent, my hands wringing out the cloth to continue soothing my changeling. Knowing I was listening, he continued, “Little Mary Alice is requesting-”
“No.” My answer was firm, but not disrespectful, even though I had just interrupted my king. “You have seen our discussions of her past, as well as her stated feelings on her recent years. I tend to believe as Isabella does. If any of the Cullen coven -Alice Whitlock most of all- had cared one iota for her after they left her, they would have checked on her… would have seen the signs of her husband’s drunken abuse, and Isabella’s belief that Michael was somehow her curse to bear for the knowledge she possessed. Alice would have seen something… wait, she did, didn’t she?”
I shook my head at the silent nod from Aro, “She saw Isabella being beaten in at least one vision, yet she did nothing… said nothing?”
Another silent nod from Aro, this time his jaw tightened slightly. “No. She doesn’t get to just waltz back into Isabella’s life now, when she could have easily put a foot down to help her at any point during her relationship with that abusive bastard. For their first 3 trips, I want them nowhere near her. She’ll have enough to deal with relearning how to do simple things on her own. Isabella doesn’t need to feel she may be cornered by them at any moment. At least, if she has the first couple of months to acclimate -and I bring up the subject of them being here- she will be more prepared for eventually seeing them. Has there been news of the Cullen patriarch yet?”
Aro made a disgusted sound in his throat, which was unlike him in casual conversation. At my raised bow, he offered, “I have wondered more than once since the conclusion of the trial, Demetri, how I ever considered Carlisle Cullen a dear friend. It seems as if, though he spent countless hours in our libraries during the time he spent with us, Carlisle chose to heed none of the warnings or advice in the literature he so eagerly read. Though Isabella’s life after the Cullens was not pretty, I am thankful Carlisle’s influence did not have a chance to taint her. We’ll see if his time in the Russian outpost does any good. He seems to have above-average knowledge of vampire body workings so far, but Heath hasn’t delved too deeply yet, as Carlisle’s mind only cleared this morning from the pain of his bonds severing. We will find out more tomorrow, I suppose.”
I let out a breath, “So you believe Cullen and his mate will likely be leaving before Isabella’s awakening?”
Aro nodded, “I do. Not to worry, Demetri. There will be harsh consequences if either attempts to speak to your newborn, and they will both be told such. As for the Whitlocks, they will be told that Isabella will come to them when she wishes to speak to them. Until then, she is to be left in peace and they are to wait patiently. Any explanation beyond that is up to you or Isabella, once you are able to do so.”
With my nod of thanks, Aro bid me a good evening, just as another pained wail left my changeling’s chest.
Falling asleep my second night in Volterra was not as easy as my first. This came from the knowledge that sometime within the next 12 to 14 hours, I would be burning in Hell, the fire of the change racing through my veins.
After tossing and turning for 3 hours, torturing myself while wondering how and when, I sat up with a huff. I threw the covers back, determined to go tell Demetri I couldn’t stand not knowing anymore. Just as I was getting ready to stand, I heard a knock on the door, so I sighed, “Come in.”
Demetri took one look at me as he opened the door, then shook his head before coming to lean back against the headboard, feet crossed at the ankle. He opened his arms to me, so I laid my head on his chest while pulling the covers back over my lower half. I sighed when I got comfortable, “I was getting up to go find you, but you knocked.”
He hummed in the back of his throat, “Want to talk about why?”
I let out a breath, then just went for it. “I thought I was okay with not knowing... that it would be better. This waiting and wondering are driving me crazy, though. Knowing what’s going to happen, but not when it will, I think is worse than seeing it coming. Does that make sense?”
Demetri rested his chin on the top of my head, then hummed, “Do you want to know what I had planned? The brothers already know, as I needed to have them reassign my duties.”
I nodded, so he smoothed his thumb along my bitten wrist as he explained, “I was going to wait until you were asleep, resting comfortably. My bite would have woken you enough to see it was me before the venom fully took hold.”
I nodded, thankful that he told me, but knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep still. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my eyes to his, then offered him my wrist. With a raised eyebrow from him, I explained, “I’m too wired to sleep anytime soon, and you’re right here.”
His brows furrowed for a split second, then suddenly I was against my pillows with Demetri hovering partially over me from the side. He studied me for a long moment before whispering against my wrist, which was held gently in his grasp, “Close your eyes, Isabella. Think again about what you told me earlier… how it made you feel to think about my venom inside you. You will be safe and cared for. I will not leave your side.”
My eyes had slid closed, but at the feeling of his teeth slicing cleanly into my wrist, they popped open to meet Demetri’s. His eyes fluttered as he swallowed once, then met mine again as the burn started in my hand and lower arm. I winced and let out a loud whimper, but Demetri still held the bite for a good minute. It was when I couldn’t hold back my scream that he finally released my wrist, licked the wound to seal the venom inside, then cradled me to him while offering, “This pain will cease in 3 days, Isabella, and I will be here when you wake to your new life.”
Dem POV
Less than an hour after Isabella started screaming, I heard a knock on the wall at the top of the stairs. I knew who it was, and was expecting some kind of half-assed joke, so I sighed, “Yes, Felix?”
He grinned as he leaned against the doorway to Isabella’s room, “She’s got quite a set of lungs on her, doesn’t she?”
I rolled my eyes, then noticed him staring at Isabella’s uncovered legs. With a snarl, I whipped the covers over her lower half again, “Is there something you needed, other than to eye my changeling like a sexual conquest?”
Felix backed up a step while raising his hands in surrender, “Whoa, Boss. It’s not like that. I was just wondering how she got a scar that bad on her leg, and so many little ones. Granted, they’ll be gone soon enough, but I was just thinking it must be a hell of a story. That’s all.”
I gave him a curt nod, but offered, “When she first told me she had a run-in with a sadistic nomad, I had joked, telling her she didn’t know the meaning of the word. Apparently, my little warrior really did know the meaning. This nomad, James, toyed with her while videotaping her torture. He smashed her leg by stomping on it, threw her around to make mirror glass cut her all up…”
I pointed to the several hundred small scars that humans would never notice, then continued, “Then, the more he toyed with her, and the more she screamed, the more excited the bastard got. You should have heard how broken her voice was when she explained how his bite mark made her feel. She swore he would have raped her, if he’d had the opportunity after biting her, then again once she woke from the change. The pure fear and panic in her eyes…”
I shook my head, then explained, “That’s why I bit her there… to override any of his venom still trapped in the skin. It would be just my luck that she’d try carving the mark from her skin to be rid of him. Or worse yet, flip out and run while her newborn instincts are ruling her, not remembering that he can no longer hurt her because he’s ash.”
Felix agreed with a nod, “Yeah… that’s pretty fucked up. At least she has you now. As for why I’m here… Jane’s team left right before your girl’s first scream. Alec’s team was 5 minutes behind that, and Santiago’s team was gearing up as I left the hall to come here. I just came to see if you needed anything before I left for Belfast with my team.”
I shook my head, “No, I think I’m set. I put you on Belfast for a reason, Felix. Look close… at the very first sign of abuse, you’ll need to gain the female’s trust, and explain that you are bringing them back here so she can be free of him. If there’s no abuse, you’ll have to figure out the underlying cause and go with your gut.”
Felix nodded, “Got it, Boss.” He winced as Isabella arched and let out a piercing scream, then shook his head, “I don’t envy either of you at this moment. If you’re sure you don’t need anything, I’m out.”
He was gone before my head stopped shaking. I snickered, “Pussy,” knowing he would hear me.
Unsurprisingly he answered back with a deep chuckle, “At least I’m getting some. Night, Boss,” before I heard the main door close downstairs.
I rolled my eyes, but it was the unfortunate truth. I had never been one for mindless trysts. No one had truly piqued my interest in a long while… no one until Isabella, that is. I hadn’t told anyone, but Isabella’s strength of character and quick wit -along with her beauty even as a human- had intrigued me. The only one who did know was Aro, as he had touched my hand several times lately.
I let my thoughts wander, trying to guess which lower guard would be first on my shit list once Isabella woke. Just as I narrowed it down to 5 potentials, Isabella let out a sob as she tried clawing at her nightclothes. I hummed as I stopped her hands, “Alright, Sweetheart. It looks like your top is becoming too tight already. Give me just a minute to find one of your new sets, then I’ll change you so you’re a bit more comfortable.”
I was able to find the softest of her new lounge sets quickly, then carefully ripped the old set from her body. Just when I started to dress Isabella in the new set I had picked, I smelled Aro’s scent as the main door opened downstairs. I released a deep warning growl as I placed myself between Isabella’s unaware form and her bedroom door.
With a soft click of the door closing, Aro offered in a curious tone, “Demetri, I came to see how everything is coming along. Is there an issue I can help with? What seems to be the problem?”
In response, I couldn’t keep the snarl out of my voice, “The problem is you entering my quarters without warning while my changeling is vulnerable and nude. Step a single foot on those stairs, and I will detach your head… king or not.”
Though Aro did gasp slightly, he responded in a calming tone, “No need for threats, Demetri. Take care of your changeling. I will wait in your sitting area until you are through and Isabella is clothed.”
I didn’t move until I was positive Aro had stationed himself in a chair downstairs. Then Isabella cried out again, causing me to coo softly as I began dressing her, “There, there, Sweetheart. You’ll be more comfortable in just a moment.”
After settling her as comfortably as possible, I took the extra minute to dampen a cloth and fill a basin with cool water from the bathroom, then finally let out a breath. I called for Aro as I started carefully wiping Isabella’s face and neck. It only took seconds for him to appear in the doorway.
“How is she,” he inquired, but then continued, “Your reaction just now confirmed my suspicions of what I read from you earlier.”
I shook my head, “She is strong… astoundingly so, to fight as hard as she does. She’s not begged for death once, and I literally flooded her system with venom. I pumped venom into the wound for a full 2 minutes before sealing it.”
Aro smirked slightly, “You would not have needed more than one-tenth of that total to erase the small amount of lingering venom from the bite in Phoenix. Were you hoping to stake a claim so early?”
I shook my head, “Of course not. Isabella will come through her newborn phase and choose me -or not- of her own free will. Hell, I can already see myself having to kill at least 5 guards for not respecting boundaries within her first few months as a newborn. Though that fact will not help my cause, it is an unfortunate must of being her sire.”
Aro hummed, “If a guard does not respect and uphold the laws set, they do not deserve to wear the Volturi crest. Any resulting death will be seen as simply a sire protecting his childe.” Then he confirmed, “So you have acknowledged that you see her as a potential mate, not just a fling.”
I sighed, then said softly while gently wiping down the top of her chest and both arms, “You know as much as me at this point. I felt protective of her even before I started her change. She’s smart, has a good head on her shoulders, and is caring of those in her circle. Am I interested in her? Absolutely. She’s the first being in over 2 centuries that I have felt a genuine interest in… so yes, I can imagine a future with Isabella as my mate.”
Aro chuckled as he nodded to my whimpering changeling, “Let us not skip the fact that she was quite beautiful… even as a mere human.”
I groaned but nodded in reply, “Let us not… seeing as that fact alone will keep my life quite interesting for the next millennia or more.”
Aro chuckled deeply, “Ah, at the very least.” His features softened as he looked at Isabella’s pained face, then asked, “Has she refused your attention at any point?”
I shook my head, “My nearness seems to calm her, actually. I expected a protest when I went to change her. Her other clothes were already becoming too tight, and she began clawing at them. Not once did she try to fight me or cry out at me changing her.”
Aro nodded, “Good. Good news indeed. She is already learning to depend on you… to understand that you will take care of her needs and not hurt her. Watch carefully for any negative signs when she looks at her wrist, once she awakens. If we must do a grafting -which I doubt will be necessary- it is better to do it early, before fear of that scum cements itself into her vampire mind.”
I let out a soft snarl at the thought, but nodded, “I will.”
Aro sighed slightly, then finally stated his true reason for coming, “You know that Major Whitlock and his mate are still here, correct?”
My nod was silent, my hands wringing out the cloth to continue soothing my changeling. Knowing I was listening, he continued, “Little Mary Alice is requesting-”
“No.” My answer was firm, but not disrespectful, even though I had just interrupted my king. “You have seen our discussions of her past, as well as her stated feelings on her recent years. I tend to believe as Isabella does. If any of the Cullen coven -Alice Whitlock most of all- had cared one iota for her after they left her, they would have checked on her… would have seen the signs of her husband’s drunken abuse, and Isabella’s belief that Michael was somehow her curse to bear for the knowledge she possessed. Alice would have seen something… wait, she did, didn’t she?”
I shook my head at the silent nod from Aro, “She saw Isabella being beaten in at least one vision, yet she did nothing… said nothing?”
Another silent nod from Aro, this time his jaw tightened slightly. “No. She doesn’t get to just waltz back into Isabella’s life now, when she could have easily put a foot down to help her at any point during her relationship with that abusive bastard. For their first 3 trips, I want them nowhere near her. She’ll have enough to deal with relearning how to do simple things on her own. Isabella doesn’t need to feel she may be cornered by them at any moment. At least, if she has the first couple of months to acclimate -and I bring up the subject of them being here- she will be more prepared for eventually seeing them. Has there been news of the Cullen patriarch yet?”
Aro made a disgusted sound in his throat, which was unlike him in casual conversation. At my raised bow, he offered, “I have wondered more than once since the conclusion of the trial, Demetri, how I ever considered Carlisle Cullen a dear friend. It seems as if, though he spent countless hours in our libraries during the time he spent with us, Carlisle chose to heed none of the warnings or advice in the literature he so eagerly read. Though Isabella’s life after the Cullens was not pretty, I am thankful Carlisle’s influence did not have a chance to taint her. We’ll see if his time in the Russian outpost does any good. He seems to have above-average knowledge of vampire body workings so far, but Heath hasn’t delved too deeply yet, as Carlisle’s mind only cleared this morning from the pain of his bonds severing. We will find out more tomorrow, I suppose.”
I let out a breath, “So you believe Cullen and his mate will likely be leaving before Isabella’s awakening?”
Aro nodded, “I do. Not to worry, Demetri. There will be harsh consequences if either attempts to speak to your newborn, and they will both be told such. As for the Whitlocks, they will be told that Isabella will come to them when she wishes to speak to them. Until then, she is to be left in peace and they are to wait patiently. Any explanation beyond that is up to you or Isabella, once you are able to do so.”
With my nod of thanks, Aro bid me a good evening, just as another pained wail left my changeling’s chest.