gift or curse (A Twilight fanfiction)

Chapter 9

My first inclination was to readily agree, but then I saw Demetri stiffen and I became weary. Old memories about courtyards and judges with white wigs I had seen in movies, popped up in my mind. Should I expect something else? Nevertheless I moved to stand behind the thrones as Aro pointed with a friendly gesture. Demerti moved with me. His motions a little more rigid than usual. Didn't he want me to see this?

The first case presented to the ancient vampires who ruled our kind, was a dispute about coven borders. Aro took the hands of the parties concerned, one after the other, and quickly spoke his verdict. I couldn't see why Demetri was so tense, it was kind of interesting. Would these ancient vampires be the only executors of the law in the whole wide world?

I stood and listened as a vampire couple made a request to turn a young human woman because they wanted to form a family. The girl in question was shaking with fear, especially when Aro took her hand in his. He deliberated with his fellow rulers, whom he called brothers, and when I saw the white-haired elder lick his lips, a small tinge of fear crept up my spine. Luckily consent was given and the three left, professing their undying thanks and joy. I thought about Carlisle and his family, somehow I doubted he had come here asking for consent.

Demetri, beside me, had loosened up a bit, but when the third case was presented, he grabbed my hand suddenly and went rigid. I looked at him, alarmed, but his eyes were focused on the three men now entering. It was Felix and an other I didn't know. Between them they restrained a man who looked like he was crazy. His eyes were wild and more red than I ever saw. He was growling like an animal and his clothes were torn from struggle. Felix and the other moved the man close and offered Aro one dark-stained hand, that clawed and flexed like he wanted to reach out and tear something apart.

The sight terrified me and I moved an inch closer to Demetri, whose hand tightened around mine.

I could hear Aro sigh: "Who is his creator?"

"We don't know, we found him making a mess near the border of Switzerland", the giant answered.

Aro touched the filthy hand, a little different than the other times. As if he didn't want to get himself dirty. I didn't know what he saw, but the second he opened his eyes, he turned his head towards Demetri and I thought I understood why the tracker reacted the way he did. Why he had tensed and was now staring concentrated at the accused. He was the one who would have to hunt down the vampire who had made this crazy newborn. How long would he be gone? The thought of him leaving depressed me.

I wanted to look at him, but didn't. Morbid fascination kept my gaze locked on the scene in front of me. Aro's gaze lingered a second on our joined hands and somehow that made him smile. I wished for a moment I could read his mind.

The next thing that happened eradicated all my previous pleasant thoughts and caused me to grasp the real reason Demetri had taken my hand.

Aro moved behind the newborn in a flick of a second, took the head in both hands and turned it. With a horrifying crack, the head was pulled from the body the same time Felix and the other man ripped both arms off. My mouth fell open and a strange tingly sensation burned behind my eyes. Like tears of shock wanted to emerge, but couldn't.

The hand that had held mine was joined by an arm around my wast, but it was not necessary. The only thing I wanted to do at the moment was turn and hide. Forget what I had seen, what I would never be able to forget again. Demetri's arms allowed me to spin and as I hid my face against his broad shoulder, his hand soothed my trembling back.

I didn't want to see anything else. I wanted to leave, run away, hide between the peaceful books.

Behind me, Aro's soft voice drifted our way, allowing us to leave and within a second Demetri had pulled me through another door on the far side of the room. I was immensely grateful that he took me this way and not past the man that now lay in pieces. Up till now I hadn't known a vampire execution looked like this. I hadn't thought about dying at all. I had been certain the softening flip side of my stolen life had been no more fear of anything, ever again.

Immortality had become a lot less certain.

It wasn't until we were indeed back in the library, when I found my voice again. "Does that happen a lot?"

We were standing in the far corner of the large chamber, Demetri's arms were still around me. I wanted to be there, in the safe circle of his embrace, no matter his reason for holding me.

"No," his velvet voice soothed me, calmed my nerves, "but it does happen. Newborns who aren't trained and cause havoc, are to be terminated along with their creators. It is part of the law that keeps us hidden."

I understood the reason, really I did, but still the vision that kept playing in my mind over and over, was one I could absolutely live without.

"Is that why Felix wanted to kill me, when we first met?"

A nod was all I received as answer and placing one hand over his heart, I whispered: "Then I am very grateful you were there."

He stiffened a little and then lifted my head with his finger until I could look at his face. His lips were on mine before I could fathom the expression in his eyes and one whole second I froze.

A million thoughts and feelings whirled though my body. Wild surges of desire, mixed with incredulity and aghast endeavors to try to keep me from kissing him back. When his arms pressed me closer to him and a low rumble rose up from his throat, slowly all intelligence left me.

Suddenly the idea of living a thousand years seemed like heaven to me, because there was no way I ever wanted this moment to end.

All notion of time disappeared until a short knock brought the world back.

That one tiny knock on the heavy wooden library door made me thoroughly aware of what we had just done and shock took over the muscles in my face.

"Coming!" Demetri said, no louder than when we spoke before. He looked at me, scrunched his face and finally stepped away from me. Breaking the cocoon we had unwittingly spun around us.

When his gaze fell on my dress, his expression turned apologetic. "Wait here", he said and left the room.

I looked down and gasped. My woolen dress was torn at several places, when had that happened? I found my coat still on the armrest on one of the chairs en wrapped it around me.

No more than a minute passed, in which I could not stop to wonder what had come over me. Sure, I had kissed a guy before, but never like this and certainly not after I was turned. There was nothing I could compare the experience to and yet I felt it really wasn't to be compared to anything. Even though I now felt all the unease and dismay I would have imagined I'd feel after kissing a stranger in a public library, my body betrayed me. I wanted more. I wanted Demetri back, close to me. His lips on mine, his hands kneading through my hair.

Lust balled together in the pit of my stomach and when he finally did return, I jumped into his arms that immediately dropped the new dress he had carried.