Jacobs Imprint (Twilight)

Chapter 17

Finally, the boy Aro longed for was there. The one who would help him achieve ultimate power over all others of their kind. Together, they would reign supreme, they would know all. But he was resistant.

Edward stood before Aro in the great hall, grasping his arm tightly in place to aid it's fusion. Despite his physical pain, Edward exuded a kind of adolescent bravado. This false confidence of his would only get him into trouble. It was a shame he never had the chance to grow out of that before his human death. His freakishly golden eyes were now black pools of hunger, but he ignored this base need in favor of a quiet display of defiance.

When Aro extended the invitation for him to join them, he had flat out refused. Enraged, Aro struggled to keep a cool facade in front of his attentive audience. But Edward knew how angry he was. He knew everything. That was why he wanted him, needed him. Edward's lips twitched at that, like he was holding in amusement. It would be difficult to get used to his talent. In the meantime, he would have to be broken of this insolence. He stiffened for a split second, but Aro caught the action. Beneath the calm exterior, he was making him nervous.

Mentally, Aro asked him why he refused to join them so adamantly. His black eyes bored into his. His smooth voice was grave.

"You killed my mate."

Unbidden, an image of Aro, slaying his sister Didyme in the gardens, dashed through his mind's eye. Aro hurried to bury it, but Edward hadn't missed it. His eyes flashed, his only outward sign of acknowledgement. For a moment, Aro was frightened of what he could do with this information, until he remembered that he could know his every thought with the touch of a hand.

Edward stiffened as Aro approached him, aware of his intention. Under the unnecessary guise of helping him hold his arm in place, Edward reluctantly allowed him to touch him. He closed his eyes as he listened to him react to the memories that flooded from his mind to his.

A tan-skinned Native boy dominated his thoughts, this must be the new mate Jane had warned him about. This threw a kink in Aro's plans for an easy acquisition. It wasn't difficult to break the ties one felt toward a coven, but it was near impossible to break the bonds of a mate, as he had learned with Marcus and Didyme. And then, he was suddenly awash with the image of this Native boy morphing into a wolf.

The scene of his memory took place in daylight, so the Native could not be a true werewolf. Caius would not care, he would jump at the chance to kill another wolf, Child of the Moon or not. If Caius were running the show, this union would be punishable by death.

But Caius wasn't the one with the ultimate power, Aro was. And he knew that if Edward loved his mate, it would not be long before the wolf would present himself to them of his own accord. He was confident this boy would give his life for Edward, and he would make him prove it. He would be disposed of swiftly, Caius would be appeased, and Edward would be his. But before he could truly serve him as blindly as the others did, his spirit had to be broken.

Releasing Edwards arm, he motioned to Felix and Santiago.

"Take him to the dungeon."

**

Edward wasn't sure how long he had been in the dark cell made of heavy, thick stone with bars of titanium. It reeked of old rot and mildew. It was a small space, with nothing inside to sit down on, not that sitting was necessary for a vampire, but it would have been a small comfort. There were no comforts to be had in the cell, save for the fact that this cell was so recessed within the castle that he was able to have a reprieve from the thoughts of others, a welcome relief he was sure they hadn't intended to give him.

They had arrived swiftly on Heidi's private jetliner, and no time was wasted in starting to break Edward down. Of course, he knew what he was walking into as they traveled to the ancient city after all, he had faced the triad once before when he had asked them to kill him, the first time he thought Bella was dead. They refused then, and they certainly wouldn't kill him now. Aro wanted him and his talent too much. He craved for him to stand beside him and complement his ability. He had a vivid vision of the two of them as all-knowing tyrants ruling over the entirety of vampire kind. Edward wondered briefly why he didn't seem to want Alice anymore, until Aro thought about it in his presence. Apparently, her gift proved to be too fallible.

Edward was glad Alice got pardoned from this experience. The triad was fond of using torture to get what they wanted. Well, to be fair, Marcus didn't torture anybody. He barely moved or spoke, he hardly even thought about anything besides his deceased wife. Aro had made the mistake of recalling his involvement in her death in his presence. Edward could reveal this damning information to Marcus, but he couldn't be sure he would believe him. The fact that he was a mind reader meant nothing. He could have easily made it up to save himself. He knew what was good for him and he wasn't going to say anything...yet.

Aro and Caius, however, would stop at nothing to get him to bend to their will. Their methods of doing so differed greatly. Vampires aren't affected by whips or chains or water boarding. They could be dismembered, as Felix had given Edward a taste of, and it had been painful. His hand instinctively caressed his still smarting shoulder. But the Volturi didn't need to use bodily harm. What they did best was to strike at a vampire's greatest weaknesses, his basest desires, hunger and lust. Far greater suffering could be extricated that way.

Aro was appealing to his thirst. He cursed himself for becoming so absorbed with spending time with Jacob that he continually pushed back his hunts. He should have gone hunting while he slept, but he hadn't wanted to leave the comfort of his warm sleeping body wrapped around his. As a result, Edward had gone too long between feedings before his abduction, and he was starving now. He had seen images of his face in their minds, the bruises beneath his eyes were a deep purple shade, his black pupils were so dilated that the whites of his eyes were barely visible, and his pale skin was turning sallow. Not to mention the terrible, consuming fire scorching his throat.

Aro came down to his cell at various intervals to offer him a meal. But he never brought a deer, or a mountain lion or even a rabbit. He always brought a human. The first few times they had still been alive, and when he refused his offer, he had to listen to their terrified thoughts and screams as Aro would feed on them himself, in front of Edward. After the third time this happened, Aro touched Edward and he immediately understood his revulsion at hearing their dying pleas for help. So, he started snapping their necks just before entering the cell.

Edward hated to admit that his persistence was working. He didn't want to give in, but the burn in his throat was excruciating, almost as bad as the change itself. He knew that, just inches away, the warm liquid inside the freshly killed human would take the pain away completely, and leave him oh-so-satisfied. Still, he found the will to resist, always trying to center himself by thinking of Jacob. But his thirst had nearly reached the pinnacle of severity, soon, the beast would break free and he would no longer have control over his actions.

Aro's thoughts told him that he intended to keep Jacob's true nature a secret. He was going to let Jacob reveal himself on his own, should he attempt to rescue Edward. Edward desperately clung to the hope that Jacob wouldn't find him. He could bear this suffering inflicted by both Caius and Aro, but he couldn't imagine what they would put Jacob through, if they even let him live. The thought of his death caused a deep ache in his long-dead heart. Should he be killed, he was certain he would become a shell of a man, just like Marcus.

Edwards lamentations were interrupted by a swirl of depraved thoughts bombarding his consciousness. He pulled himself together quickly, trying to appear compliant. Caius let himself into his cell, his cruel features twisted into a lecherous expression. Internally, Edward cringed as he crept closer. It had only been a few hours since his last visit, but he wanted more.

Caius aimed to cause suffering by using lust. Not by manipulating his own lust, by inflicting his lust upon him. He was determined to bend Edward to his will, quite literally. He was attracted by his outward show of confidence, and he took great pleasure in trying to break him of it.

In his previous assaults, Edward refused to allow him any satisfaction. He fought each encounter tooth and nail, but it only encouraged him. He was rough with him, and despite his attempts at bravery, these incidents always ended with the intense pain of unprepared entrance, Edward on his hands and knees, pitifully whimpering for him to stop. Edward was ashamed at himself for showing such weakness to him.

This time, he vowed not to give him the satisfaction of either fighting for dominance or his cries of pain. He would pretend not to be affected by any of it. It was his last resort to make him lose interest in violating him. He had to let him think he had won.

He bared his teeth in a salacious grin before shoving Edward face-first against the cold stone wall, tearing his clothes from him in the process. As Edward felt his hardness press against his rear, seeking to penetrate, he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, determined not to make a sound.