𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 [𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔]

•27•

Aro, being a vampire so old and...well, the better term was ancient. He could safely say he thought himself an exceedingly patient man. He thought he was wise and fair to those who had done no wrong, cruel where it was justified. Perhaps he was rather malicious and perhaps he did truly enjoy that darker part of himself that craved to hurt those who deserved it...and even those who didn't...but that comes with the job and was just a part of being what he was. No matter how saintly some liked to portray themselves, the urge to hurt and the enjoyment that came with it lived inside all of their race. It was just their nature.

Through all of his bad qualities, he knew the one thing he admired about himself was his patience. The patience he exercised to put up with Caius's unrelenting anger and irrational impulses day in and day out, despite how tiring it was. The patience that had allowed him to be there for his poor brother Marcus when he had been an unfeeling, unmoving husk of a man. It was only that patience that had let him be supportive when he secretly had just wanted to throttle sense back into him. The patience that allowed him to keep that vermin, Joshua alive so that when he was ready to show her, Nora could have her sweet revenge.

Yes, in his opinion it was the one good quality he possessed through all of his many unsavory ones. Which was why he absolutely loathed that it had run thin on this particular day. He was ashamed that he had let this happen.

Now, he stood back, watching the chaos he had started unfold silently.

His lips pulled back into a disgusted sneer when a severed finger rolled to brush against his shoe. With a roll of his eyes he carelessly kicked the appendage away, refocusing on the absolute bloodbath happening around him and how it had come to fruition.

He hadn't meant for this to happen, he had wanted to wait for Nora to return. He had been determined they were going to. But the profane, unprincipled monster in him craved access to Edward's mind and the secrets it withheld–it couldn't be helped, regardless of his best efforts. It was his gift...his curse, that made him almost unable to go minutes without rooting around in others minds.

That need he had suppressed was only further encouraged by Edward's sketchy behavior, a clear tell he had something he did not want Aro to wheedle out. Aro had tried and tried and had successfully, admirably defied the monster in him. He had been relieved that in the end it wasn't that monster that made him do this.