FRANKENSTEIN
12 | Let me down gently.

ARO led me down a long winding corridor with both Jane and Alec trailing behind us. The castle had been the epitome of medieval perfection. The wall and floor were made out of stone, and the ceilings were high. I'd never seen anything like it.

Along the stone wall were decorations of ancient oil paintings. A majority were of the Tuscany countryside, while a few were of people. There were about five in particular that caught my eye.

The first one was a very intricate realistic painting, that could have passed for a photo. In the painting was Jane with Aro stood close behind her. Behind the two of them were Caius and Marcus who stood little way's away, and Alec who stood with his arms crossed. The background was full of unidentifiable people in red coats and the clock tower of the castle. The fog seemed to adorn the air and an eclipse appeared to be taking place during it. Barely visible in a translucent way was the Volturi symbol. It was painting just over the eclipsing sun, you had to strain your eyes to see it.

The second painting was less realistic and looked more at how a painting should. Aro, Marcus, and Caius stood on a balcony each overlooking the humans below them with a sense of superiority. Each man wore similar attire, pure golden shirts, and trousers with a fancy coat. I noticed right away that Carlisle stood behind them leaning against a pillar in a slightly more modest fashion.

The third peaked my curiosity slightly more than the others. The painting seemed to be only a head shot of a gorgeous woman. Her white hair fell in ringlets while her gaze remained down hiding the color of her eyes. Her dark eyebrows stood in contrast to her wonderfully colored hair, and the silky blue dress she wore was just barely visible in the painting. On the very bottom of the painting in large white letters the script wrote, Athenodora, leading me to the conclusion this was Caius's mate. The famous Athenodora.

Next to the painting of Athenodora, was a painting of a different woman. She was equally as beautiful as Athenodora, though her features were entirely opposite. Dark chocolate waves fell down her shoulders, and the top of her head was adorned with a crown. Her skin was incredibly flawless and smooth with pink lips. Her eyes; however, are what struck me most. A honey gold color similar to the Cullen's made her entire appearance pop. I couldn't help but be slightly reminded of Aro as I looked at her. They didn't necessarily look the same, but their features were similar. At the very top of the canvas were the words, Didyme, scrawled out in neat cursive. This was Aro's late sister, and Marcus's mate; Didyme.

The final painting was of an alluring woman, sitting on a chair. Her raven hair was braided to the side, and her finger held a crimson ring. She was adorned in a white satin night-gown and she appeared to be leaning her head on her hand. In the background was an extremely old-fashioned dresser with multiple candles lit atop it. Her pretty face had a slight smile on it as she focused on nothing in particular. I noticed that this was the only painting where the person actually had a smile, even if it was only slight.

"I would like to properly introduce you to the guard and my brother's before we do anything," Aro informed causing me to snap my attention away from the paintings.

I couldn't help but notice that my footsteps were the only ones that sounded. Alec and Jane walked in complete silence, while Aro walked with more grace than I thought possible. Even Alice who seemed to almost dance through all her motions could not compare to Aro.

All three of them held themselves in a sort of superior way, Aro more so than the other two. Aro was very aristocratic in his appearance. From his expensive loafers to the red tie he wore I could honestly say he looked like he was worth more than a million dollars.

I couldn't help but feel self-conscious of the white SHARE outfit I wore. I still hadn't changed from the all-white attire that I was required to wear at the facility. My eyes began wandering around once more, as we all turned through another corridor it began changing slightly.

The majority of the paintings became that of the Volturi and doors started appearing more frequently, most of them sheathed in gold. As we came to the end of the corridor we stopped in front of a huge heavy wooden door that looked as if it would take two people to open.

Aro; however, was able to open it with ease. As the door opened it revealed a large throne room, in it were multiple members of the guard and the other two kings. Caius was sat on a throne to the right, while Marcus was sat on one to the left. In the middle, there was an empty throne which was presumably Aro's.

As soon as we entered Jane and Alec walked from behind and took there place standing next to the guard I couldn't stop myself from looking up and gaping. The ceiling was high and circular alike to the room. Huge pillars a lined the walls, with large ancient murals painted onto each wall.

"May I introduce you all to my mate, Frankie," Aro spoke to everyone in the room with a large smile.

"Brother this is the girl you say was brought back to life?" Caius's voice sharply asked making me flinch slightly.

"Yes." I watched Aro cringe as if he was ready for some type of negative reaction from his brother.

"She looks rather small to be able to do everything we saw, are you sure she's not part werewolf? Or perhaps a hybrid alike to that, Renesmee." Caius drawled out scowling.

To say Caius looked threatening was an understatement, he looked terrifying in my opinion. Yes, he was amazingly attractive, but at the same time, just his glare alone looked like it could send you six feet under.

"I'm certain that she's nothing but human. Though now, I'm quite sure what to make of her?" Aro added as a peculiar look adorned his features. As if on cue everyone's head turned to look at making me shift my feet uncomfortably.

"She does not smell alike to a human." Marcus's voice which was barely a whisper spoke.

"You're right brother she does not, I will need to ponder on these thoughts for a while." Aro spun to his guard clapping his hands excitedly. "This is my personal bodyguard Renata." He pointed to a short brunette.

"Heidi, our fisher." A devious smirk pulled at Aro's lips as he said this, referring to an amazingly beautiful brunette. "That is Santiago." He motioned to a dark-skinned man with dreads.

"Chelsea, whom you've already met, and her mate Afton," Aro spoke looking to where Chelsea stood by a vampire with dirty-blonde hair.

"Corin is not here right now as she usually stays in the tower with Athenodora, but you'll meet her eventually."

"Then the royal guard Felix, Demetri, Alec, and of course Jane who you've also already met." Aro finished turning on his heel to me.

A bright smile burned on his face, as I gave a sheepish wave to everyone not exactly sure what to do.

"Come sweet, let us walk to my chamber's." Aro placed a hand on my lower back guiding me out of the throne room.

The walk to his chambers was silent in a comforting type of way. Finally, after walking for a few minutes we came upon a long corridor with three huge doors. On the right corridor, the door was encrypted with the golden letter C, just across from that was a door adorned with the golden letter of M.

At the very end was a door encrypted with the letter A. Aro gently grabbed my wrist pulling me along until we finally reached his chambers. As he pulled the door open my breath was caught in my throat.

His chambers were absolutely huge. The first thing which caught my attention was the bed that looked like it could fit six people easily. Across from the bed was a large couch and chairs surrounding. A desk was set up just to the side of it with papers neatly piled into the stack atop it.

The floors were stone, but it was covered by a multitude of large expensive rugs. There were at least three fireplaces just scattered about. Unexpectedly the walls were not made out of stone, but instead highly polished wood. The walls were filled to the brim with ancient oil paintings, some of himself and the guard, others of just random things.

A large chandelier hung above lit with false candles, it did not do much to light up the room though. Because of this, the light was dimmed down in a sort of relaxing vibe. A few feet away from the bed was a tall arch leading into an entirely different room.

I looked to Aro about to ask for permission to explore. "Go ahead mia cara." He chuckled softly answering before I even spoke.

Curiously I wandered through the arch knowing Aro was following behind. Through the arch was his own little personal library. However, little was most definitely not the word to describe it. The room was filled to the brink with shelves of books. In the middle sat a large table with a couple large worn books atop it.

I could see the books on the shelves were old. Dating back all the way to the thirteenth century, some were not even books. They were simply scrolls of paper bound together or rolled up. With a smile, I trotted out of the library and walked to a door which was next to the desk.

Inside the door had to be the largest closest I'd seen. Armani suits, robes, capes, and a multitude of other expensive clothes lined the walls. Racks upon racks of shoes were seen as well. The clothes and shoes in here seemed to date back so far that some of the outfits were unrecognizable to my young eyes.

At the back of the closest was the suitcase and backpack Alice had packed for me. "Felix brought them," Aro told me seeing as I was staring at the luggage.

I nodded my head at him before walking out of the closet and into the last door I saw. As I entered my eyes quickly widened to the size of saucers. The floor had changed from stone to a shiny marble with intricate designs.

The walls were painted a white color with pillars every now and then. In the very center of the bathroom was a large red ottoman. It was then that I came to the realization that all the furniture I had seen in Aro's chambers were either red or black.

Behind the ottoman was a magnificent tub, that could have easily passed for a small hot tub in my opinion. Next to that was an enormous glass shower, which probably would be able to fit a small group of people.

On the other side of the bathroom was another door leading to what I assumed to be a toilet. The last thing I saw was the two beautiful glass sinks sat in the marble counter.

"Your chambers are amazing," I spoke lightly turning to face Aro who was intently watching me.

"Our chambers, you're to stay in here with me," Aro informed me resting his palm against my cheek.

"I thought I was required to stay in the tower along with Athenodora? Isn't that what your last beloved did." I questioned before pulling away from Aro's gentle touch.

My mind was soon swarmed with thoughts of Sulpicia. I couldn't help but be slightly jealous, which I knew was wrong. This was Aro's late wife I was talking about, I should be respecting her.

"Sulpicia is dead, and Athenodora was tortured because we decided to keep them locked in the tower. The only reason Athenodora still resides there is because she insists on it, but even then Caius pulls her away as much as he can." Aro growled. "I refuse to make the same unfortunate mistakes as last time. You, my love will never be put in danger." Aro softly said.

I could tell that he wanted to come and touch me, but he was hesitant to do so. No words were spoken as he swiftly turned on his heel and made for the door. I followed him out my head turning back to the large bathtub.

At the Cullen's house, on occasion, I would allow Alice and Rosalie to treat me to a warm bath. I loved hot bubble baths a lot, more so than I care to admit. A good chunk of myself wanted to take a bubble bath in Aro's huge bathtub, but the other half of me simply wished to sleep.

The prior day's event had worn me to the brink of exhaustion, while I was also feeling jet lag.

As we made our way into the large room Aro walked over to his desk and began tracing the stacks of papers. His body turned around so he was leaning on the side of his desk examining me. His calculating red eyes swiped over my body before his they connected to my own. He swallowed before stating, "I assume you are most tired, hmm."

"Yes I am, but I was wondering - if you don't mind of course - that maybe... uh, I could possibly take a bath. Only if it's no trouble, I don't want to be a bother-" My words were cut off as Aro flashed to my side pressing a finger to my lips.

I jumped back startled at his fast movements, not completely used to having someone move at that speed. Even after the Cullen's had told me about themselves, they refrained from using their abilities most of the time. A smirk ghosted his lips as gazed into my alarmed state.

"So very fragile, my sweet little Frankie," Aro mumbled as he leaned his head down so he was inhaling my scent. "You are most definitely not a bother to me, anything you want you shall have. I will prepare you a warm bath while you go pick something to wear for bed." Aro finished his voice barely above a whisper as he walked into the bathroom.

An odd feeling was left in my chest at his words, something I had never before felt. In a way, it was similar to what I felt in the dream. The dream. Oh, that wonderful dream where Aro had placed his lips upon mine and ripped my stockings with his bare hands.

My thoughts soon took a turn to what it would be like when he actually kissed me. From there my thoughts escalated to what it would be like if he decided to jump in the bath with me... a tingling sensation spread through my body at the thought of Aro Volturi and myself naked with each other.

Before I could even comprehend my actions I lifted my hand and slapped myself across the face. Hard. A small groan escaped my mouth as I rubbed my stinging cheek.

"Frankie! What was that!" Came Aro's voice from the bathroom the sound of running water beginning to take place.

"Nothing! I'm just gonna grab my pajama's now!" I screamed, even though I knew that Aro would still be able to hear me at a whisper.

My feet scampered toward the closet of the bedroom at a quick rate. I knelt down so I was in front of the large suitcase, which belonged to Alice. Shifting through the clothes that were inside. My mouth formed an 'O' shape as I took in exactly what Alice had packed me. Short see-through nightgowns, lacy underwear, and bralettes were only some of the things that I could recognize. Most of the other outfits looked so confusing and complicated that I didn't even know what they were.

"Alice," I whispered in a slightly panicky voice. I pulled through all the odd undergarments finally coming to some more acceptable clothing.

At the very bottom of the suitcase was large t-shirts, swear pants and comfy looking shorts. A smile crossed my features at a sticky-note which was attached to one of the t-shirts.

She did it to me too, don't worry I got your back.
             -Bella

I mentally praised Bella, giving her a silent thanks for sneaking in more appropriate attire. Gripping a large shirt, and a pair of shorts I made my way out of the closet and into the bathroom where Aro was awaiting me.

As soon as I placed my feet on the marble floor Aro was to my side. "Your cheek." Is all he stated resting a hand on my right cheek. I flushed pink once I realized he was probably seeing the hand-print. "It's nothing." I awkwardly coughed.

The water for the tub was running making small splash noises as it hit the water. Large bubbles were floating at the top of the slowly rising water, a slightly pinkish color mixed in with them. I placed the pajama's on the counter and gradually made my way over to the bathtub.

I let a small smile graze on my mouth as I stared into the large bathtub. "I will leave you to your bath, my sweet." Aro's cool breath hit my ear before I felt a slight breeze.

I turned around my eyebrows scrunched in confusion only to see Aro gone, and the bathroom door shut. With a shrug of my shoulders, I quickly began pulling off my clothing and shoes until I stood in front of the bathtub bare.

My hands grazed over the cool white of the tub before I emerged myself fully into the deep warmth. The warmth of the water was quick to relax my muscles and soothe over my rapid thoughts.

I leaned back against the tub my body filling less than half of it. I couldn't stop myself from thinking of the previous naughty stuff about Aro. A groan escaped my lips as an entirely made up image of us together in the bathtub popped up in my mind. For the first time, I was happy that Aro couldn't read my thoughts, God only knows how he would react if he saw this.

~

My fingers worked efficiently in creating a braid that fell down my back. Within minutes I was done, and I smiled thinking of the first time Rosalie taught me how to braid. The bath had done wonders, I felt entirely relaxed now.

The large shirt I wore covered the shorts making it look as if I didn't have pants on. In a split second decision, I tucked the front of the shirt into the shorts so that the fact that I did have pants on would be shown.

As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom Aro was in front of me. A small shriek escaped me as I felt his hands under my knees and him sweep me off my feet. He gave me a grin as he walked with me in his arms to the side of the enormous bed.

I noticed that on the left side of the bed the covers had been thrown back making room for someone to get under. Aro lay me down gently on the bed. As soon as I sunk into the bed my eyes widened at how soft it was. This could be a cloud!

He pulled the covers up to my chin, blocking me from the cold air of the room. "Sleep now, mia cara." His red eyes shone as he looked at me.

Slowly he walked over to his desk and began writing things down on paper his hand moving at a fast rate. My eyes became drowsy all the exhaustion hitting me at once. The last thing I saw was Aro writing fast and soon enough my mind drifted into a world made entirely of its own.