The Unwanted Imprint

Chapter 55

Two months had gone by. By this time, Nichole was noticeably pregnant. She and Aro kept on moving their locations so that the Cullens wouldn't be able to find her. Aro was fairly certain that Nichole wouldn't try and escape, but that didn't mean that her family wouldn't try and rescue her.

For the most part, Nichole did as she was told. She looked pretty during his Volturi meetings, she pleased him in bed whenever he required it, and he drew her blood to use against his enemies, which really, was any vampire that didn't follow in the Volturi's footsteps.

Nichole had a 'bodyguard', as Aro liked to call it, for when he wasn't around, and it was none other than Diana. Nichole hadn't said a single word to her in the time that she had been there, and she wasn't planning on talking to her any time soon.

Diana, on the other hand, had other plans. "Nichole, you're going to have to talk to me sometime." The two were in the garden of the place that Nichole and Aro were staying at. Nichole never knew where they were going, because when they moved, she was always blindfolded, the only thing that she knew was that they were someplace that was always warm year round.

"Actually, no, I don't." Nichole retorted, keeping her eyes on the flowers that were before her. "I trusted you, Diana."

"Nichole, believe it or not, this is for your own good, you're safer with Aro."

"Safer?! How is any of this safer?! Aro gets to have sex with me any time he pleases, he's taken so much of my blood that he could open up a damn blood bank, and if I do anything wrong in his eyes, then my unborn child gets put into danger! So you tell me how any of that is safe!"

"If you obey Aro, then you won't have to worry about anyone hurting you, they wouldn't want to risk his wrath. Think about it, even Jane stays away from you."

"I'm a prisoner here, Diana! Not that I could expect you to understand. You're just like everyone else here, worshipping the ground that Aro walks on. But I know better. Aro is nothing but a tyrant. I can't wait until the day that I die so that I can be rid of him."

Nichole knew that by now, the only way that she would be free of Aro's control would be if one of them died, and it seemed far more likely that she would be the one to die than him, unless he had some kind of plan to turn her immortal.

Diana sighed softly. "Nichole, I didn't want to turn you in, truly I didn't, but I didn't have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice, Diana. Some of us just make the wrong ones. I think that I want to go back inside now."

"Nichole-"

"I said that I wanted to go back inside!"

"Is everything alright?"

Nichole turned to face Aro, and she cleared her throat. "Y-yes, everything is fine."

"I heard you shouting. You shouldn't be raising your voice like that, it isn't good for your child." He went over to Nichole, placing a hand on her belly, and it took every ounce of strength that she had to not recoil from him. "I was just telling Diana that I wanted to go inside. I'm quite tired, and I wish to get a bath in."

"Of course, whatever you want, my darling. Diana, I will take care of her tonight, you can go and attend to your other duties."

Diana sent one last look at Nichole before she left, and Aro wrapped one arm around Nichole as he walked with her to their shared bedchambers.

"I have to admit, Nichole, I thought that you were going to fight me a lot more than you have."

"Why would I? I know when I'm beat, and you had me cornered."

"You are a smart woman, I can see why Carlisle rescued you."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't think that he rescued you out of the kindness of his heart, do you? No, there is always something in it for him. Perhaps he thought that you would have a special gift if you were turned."

"He wouldn't turn me. He said that he wouldn't turn me unless it was life or death."

"You should know by now that people say things that they don't mean. Do you really think that you could have stayed that long with Carlisle and he wouldn't find out about your gift? Or that he stumbled upon you in the woods that fateful night on accident? Nothing that he has done has been by accident, Nichole. He does everything with a purpose. He had a purpose when he took you in. At least when I took you, I cared for you somewhat. Carlisle never cared about you."

"N-no, that's not true." Nichole didn't believe what Aro was telling her, not fully anyway, but the seed of doubt had already been planted, and Aro knew from the look on her face that now it would only be a matter of time before he had her completely under his control. All that he had to do now was be patient. Be patient and show her that he cared for her much, much more than any Cullen ever could. He would be damned if she escaped from him again.