Born in Flames / / C. Volturi

{8 The Daunting Truth}

Adela Gascoigne

Although life seemed to be getting progressively worse in the village, I needed to be keeping my head up. Not just for myself but for my children too. Their mother had now completely abandoned the twins in the brewing whispers of the town. I guess that she considered her reputation to be salvageable but I can't imagine why she would choose to do so now. Maybe if she prayed enough with the old crones and elders then she could superficially convince herself that they would accept her back in.

But it was becoming more painfully obvious now more than ever that we were being isolated and rejected. Even some of the once-loyal visitors of the apothecary had decided to forgo any available remedies in an attempt to create a distance between our 'unholy' trio and themselves. But I was becoming more and more content with the idea of running away with Caius and his friends, and hopefully, the twins would be two.

But speaking of Caius

There was never a moment with him that wasn't magnetic or electrifying in some way. Even when doing the absolutely most mundane of tasks such as now, lying in the overcast field he held a passion and aura that was both alluring and awe-inspiring. He seemed ethereal like someone who you would have thought to have waltzed straight out of an old fable. He held both the aura of a king and of an angel. As he walks past the villagers he holds his head up high as if he knows he is the strongest man in the room.

He is untouchable.

But there were things about Caius that seemed to exist beyond humanity. There was no flush of life under his cheeks or steady rhythm of his breathing. He was built as if he were carved from stone itself and he lacked the warmth that most men did. His eyes were stained crimson and always seemed to pierce through everything he looks at. He was cold in almost every sense of the word, and possessed both a grace and confidence that left most people awestruck and intimidated.

But looking at him now, as we were alone and left to our thoughts, for once he looked peaceful. The usually stern glaze of his eyes had melted away and his brows were neutral. With his eyes now closed and his one tense frowned lips now ghosting a smile he appeared to be calm. It was a nice look on him, and one so rarely seen. 

"It's rude to stare you know?" He joked the smile now fully forming on his face.

"Well when the subject before me is so grand, why would I stop myself?" I smiled back, stomach flipping as he opened his eyes to meet mine. Something I had come to be thankful for, was just how confident being around Caius had made me. Although he was never one to bow down nor be agreeable to anyone, not even Aro, which seemed...odd, especially when looking at the almost subservient attitude of their friends. If you had asked me before I may have felt shame or guilt over my attitude, but I was slowly learning that maybe my newfound confidence was an extension of loving myself. Something I had also come to learn from being with Caius.

That I was enough and I shouldn't let anyone else tell me otherwise.

"Although my ego does certainly enjoy your compliments, my love, I must ask what is running through your head right now? you have that look in your eye when you start thinking too deeply."

"When you make your analogies of men and monsters, how much of it would you say is true?"

The question seemed to hang thickly in the air, there was as much to lose or to gain depending on the outcome of what happens here, although if I'm being completely honest with myself, the thought of Caius being a monster did not scare me as it should. Whether this is from some sick sense of puppy love or syndrome that would lead me blindly into the jaws of the beast or abyss of death, or some semblance of manipulation to gain something from me. I don't care, Caius was exactly who I would trust through anything and although it may seem foolish and naive I cannot help but fall fully into my love of the blonde man.

Caius began searching for something in my eyes, I could feel the critical thoughts behind his gaze as he well and truly faced me now. But I know what he is looking for, he is looking for me to subconsciously back down and cower away from him, but I won't. Maintaining unwavering eye contact with him was easy, easier than he would have it seem. But slowly he laced his fingers with mine over the back of my hand before he slowly brought them under his shirt and placed my palm directly onto the centre of his smooth and chilled chest.

Nothing.

There was nothing. No thumbing of life in his chest, although I had previously come to realise that there was a lack of steady rise and fall of his breath. I had never come to notice the lack of heartbeat. 

"What have you heard of men who drink blood?" He spoke softly as if speaking any louder would somehow burst the bubble of serenity that we had made for ourselves.

"Not much" I spoke truthfully "All that I know comes from the elders, who claim that blood-drinking monsters lie in the forest around our town waiting to kill us when we leave"

A deep sigh dropped from his nose as a much more serious look washed over his face. "Do you trust me, my love?"

"Of course I do Caius, why?"

Moving his hand around to hold mine he slowly brought my hand up to his mouth and grabbed my index finger to ever so delicately touch his teeth. They looked like perfectly normal human teeth, a lot whiter and straighter than most, but from running my finger over his bottom set could you feel just how deathly sharp they were.

"I am going to be completely honest with you my love, I think you can handle the truth now, you are my mate, the other half of my soul and the reason I live, much as I am yours. I am a monster, and I plan to turn you too and then we can truly live forever together. I am faster, stronger and more deadly than any other creature on this earth and so will you" Caius pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around my waist, caging me against his strong body.

"We will be leaving here soon my love, the twins too, then we can rule together, just as the three moirai intended"

Thank you for reading~

I would like to apologise for this update taking so long, we are currently trying to move house and the whole thing has been quite busy and stressful, I am going to try and update a little quicker but I would like to say that you for you having patience with me~