#vampire death

Happy Halloween everyone! Have my robot vampire theory!

(Inspired by This post made by @xitsensunmoon)

The coven had gone away to take care of an urgent matter, the existence of an immortal child. I expected I would go as well, but Aro had forbidden it. "You are still human," he had said, his hands holding my upper arms. "It's too dangerous."

I protested. "Caius is taking Athenodora. I just want to stand with you, my love."

He raised my hand to kiss my palm. "She is a vampire. No," he said quietly, so quietly, i barely heard him. "I will not put you in danger."

I knew of Carlisle, a long time friend to my mate. They had not seen each other in many decades, and now were about to have a confrontation over the supposed child of Carlisle's son, Edward and his mate, Bella. Why it had to come down to this, I just couldn't understand, even after Aro had explained the nature and history of immortal children.

"Aro, my heart, you would not fight your best friend of many decades like this. Can't you discuss it with him first. Find out the truth before running off to kill them."

Aro had other ideas he would not share with me, I felt that in my heart. It upset me, and the moment he touched my hand, he knew it. He tried to placate me by explaining the importance of preventing immortal children from being created.

"And if this immortal child were not related to Carlisle?" I felt there was something behind Aro's spoken intentions.

Aro glared at me, so I knew I'd touched a nerve. His anger lasted only a moment, when he gathered me into his arms and nuzzled my neck. "You still like to bait me, don't you, cara. This incident concerns Carlisle and vampire law. The Volturi must maintain order by enforcing the law."

"Aro, what has that to do with me going with you?"

"Dear one, to enforce the law, we may have to fight. I won't have you in harm's way. Stay here and wait for us to return. The human staff will be with you if you need anything."

I felt a cold shudder run through my body, reminding me of the old saying "someone is walking on my grave". But I feared it wasn't my grave being walked on.

I hugged my mate tightly, and begged him not to go, causing him to laugh low and kiss me several times to reassure me. "Please, Aro, don't go, stay here with me."

He pulled back, brushing away my human tears, then smiling at me. "How would it look if we didn't go, my dear. It is our duty to investigate every facet of the truth. If the Cullens are innocent, we will leave them in peace. We'll be home soon once that has been determined. I promise you."

I looked into his face, with the pale skin and red eyes. He was beautiful in my own estimation. I would brush his hair at night before I went to bed. I enjoyed touching it and he readily indulged me. I would kiss the back of his neck and hug him from behind. I was to have been changed a week ago, but this issue with the Cullens interfered with that. Aro swore as soon as he returned, he would set a new date and give me my awaited gift...immortality and the life eternal with him.

"I'll hold you to that promise. mister," I warned him.

He took me in his arms and kissed me in that way I knew kissing wasn't all he sought from me. If this was to be our last night together, I wanted him in every way possible. He tried to soothe my fears with more kisses and touches. He loved me as he always had and always would. As I lay in his arms, sated from our love-making, I had to wonder, why was I so apprehensive?

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning, the entire Guard was attired in their little-worn battle dress. I bid Marcus and Caius good bye, and ordered them to be careful. I then hugged my sister Athenodora, wishing she was staying behind with me. But Caius wanted her with him while my mate didn't want me at his side.

Damn it, woman, you know he only wants to protect you!

Aro pulled me aside to say good bye. I straightened his collar, then patted my hands on his chest. He looked regal in his battle jacket, his cape draped around him. I slipped my arms beneath the cape and held him close. He stroked my hair, saying, "Sarò a casa in men che non si dica, amore mio."

I cried. I couldn't help myself. "You'd better be home sooner than that, Aro." He gave me a final kiss and left with Marcus, Caius, and the rest of the coven following.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was three days since Aro and the coven had left Volterra. I sat on his throne, waiting, my eyes never wavering from the main doors unless I fell asleep. The chef brought me food I didn't touch. Eventually he took the trays away with a head shake and a tsk. I refused to leave the throne room, until my bodily needs prodded me and I had no choice.

I was sitting on Aro's chair, humming some obscure song until I heard a sound, and thought, finally, they're home. It was Felix who entered the throne room first. I smiled and ran to him. "Felix, thank the gods you're safe. Where is everyone else?" I looked around him, my eyes seeking my mate. I peered up at the tall guard, asking only, "Felix?"

He looked down at me, utter sadness on his face. "Felix, where is Aro?" His answer to my question was silence. I grabbed at his jacket and demanded, "Where is Aro!"

"Master Aro has been...destroyed."

It was as if a large rock had hit me in the chest.

"Marcus? Caius? Athenodora?"

"Destroyed, Mistress."

"Demetri, Jane, Alec, Chelsea, Heidi, Santiago?" I rattled off the entire list of the names of our coven.

Felix only nodded in silence.

"No one is left?" Felix survived and I'd wager he felt only guilt for that.

"A few lower guards survived, by fleeing like cowards." he said, his face darkening.

I heard his words all the while pretending I hadn't heard them, before I collapsed to the marble floor. I sobbed, tears flowing down my face. Felix knelt beside me. He picked me up in his arms and took me to our rooms, Aro's and mine. He lay me gently on the large bed.

He went to the bathroom and wet a wash cloth, bringing it to me, dabbing my tears away, then laying it on my forehead. I grabbed his hand, forcing him to sit beside me.

"Tell me what happened. How did he...?"

"I think that should wait. You're in no shape at the moment. In the morning, we can talk."

In the morning. After all night without my mate. The previous nights, I endured being alone, knowing Aro would be returning home soon. Now I had no such assurance. He was dead and I still lived. How would I live without him, without my family. Only Felix remained.

"Felix, what will we do now?"

"Shhhh...there is no need to discuss that at the moment. Would you like anything to eat?"

"Eat? No, no food." The tears flowed again, and I turned into my pillow. I felt Felix's large hand on my back, then the breeze that remained after he fled the rooms. I was alone, truly alone.

I wondered who was responsible for his destruction. Surely Carlisle would not have killed his old friend. Was it one of his children? Edward perhaps? I knew he did not like Aro.

I wanted to know, so what, I could enact revenge on them for the murder of my mate? I gripped the pillow in my hands, wanting to rip it apart.

Aro, you left this world without me.

I fell asleep with his face in my mind, his smile when he was happy, his scowl when he was frustrated, his darkened eyes when he lusted after me. He was with me, inside me, around me. And gods, how I missed him already. It was not possible he was gone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sunlight woke me. I washed up and dressed, seeing my eyes red and my face blotchy from crying in my sleep. I saw a tray of food sitting on Aro's desk in the anteroom. Felix or the chef must have brought it. I had to admit I was hungry now, enough to eat a few sausage links. Then I drank some of the coffee, trying to wake up.

Felix rapped on the inner door, then came in. He saw me eating and gave me a small smile. "Are you feeling better?"

I couldn't tell him I wasn't better. I grabbed his hand and sat him on the sofa beside me. "Felix, I have a favour to ask of you."

"Of course, anything you need."

I looked him in the eyes. "I want you to take me. Drink me."

He frowned. "Do you want me to turn you?"

As if anyone else was left, but no, he misunderstood. "No, I want you to drink me, all of me. End my life."

He shook his head. "No, I can't do that. You're just upset. Take some time. Perhaps we can start a new coven..."

"What? No, I want you to kill me, Felix. Aro left this world without me. I won't allow that. I believe in an after-life. I believe he had a soul. He may be waiting for me even now. Please, do this for me. Create a new coven, my friend, but I can't live without Aro." I begged him with my eyes. I turned my head, tempting him with my throat, the pulse beating for him to see.

I noticed his eyes darkening, the hunger taking over his common sense. He pulled me to him, setting me in his lap. He kissed my forehead, and when I turned my head away from him, he kissed my neck, then bit hard.

This should have been Aro bringing me into his world, not a guard ending my existence in mine.

I felt weak and closed my eyes, my heart beating loudly in my ears. I heard him sucking, felt his lips, his mouth, taking my life from my body. I didn't even struggle against him. I thought I had opened my eyes but I wasn't sure. Was that Aro standing in the corner of the room? He was dressed as when I first met him, in his black suit, shirt, and tie. His shiny hair pulled back with a leather cord. His eyes red, and his smile bright.

My heart beat slowed, even as Felix's sucking slowed. It was almost over. I thanked the guard in a whisper.

Aro reached out his hand to me. "Come with me, my love. We will still be together forever."

The night was cold. Unfortunately so. Finnegan didn't shiver, his jacket was too thick for that, but the chill was felt in his joints, stiff from being in the same position for nearly an hour. He wanted to move. To stretch his sore limbs and pop the aching joints. But he couldn't, moving now could be dangerous. He hasn't seen his target yet. The target the was in the dark house he was watching, likely snug behind it's too-warm walls while he stayed out and froze.

A rustle behind him takes him of guard, causing his muscles to freeze up, afraid his target had seen him first. Glancing behind himself slowly, Finnegan relaxes. A squirrel sat on a tree branch a good few feet behind him, munching on an acorn. Just a squirrel, nothing to be afraid of. Especially not at this height. Twenty feet in the air while perched precariously on a tree branch could be dangerous for anyone, and falling was easy. Giving the squirrel the middle finger, the hunter turns again to look at the house. Just in time, too. The door was starting to open.

Fingers almost numbed with cold reach up to feel the barrel of the small dart gun he held, before he aims it at the person stepping out of the house. They seemed to be bundled up heavier then normal, but that wasn't too unexpected. It was well known that vampires couldn't produce their own body heat, anyway. Despite the darkness of the windows, most likely caused by thick curtains, bright light spills out of the doorway, illuminating the vampire in question. Finnegan doesn't note the vampire's appearance, nothing more than the fact they were talking on the phone and didn't have a scarf on. He takes a deep, calming breath. Quickly, carefully, before the vampire shuts the door, he fires the dart.

The glass chamber attached to the fragile needle of the dart was broken off and on the ground, but that didn't worry him. The silver needle was meant to be breakable, anyway. That way it couldn't fully be pulled out. The beast must've removed it while trying to drag itself into the house, coughing and wheezing. At least some of the holy water and garlic powder had gotten into the target, along with the silver flecks. There was some debate whether the garlic powder and holy water actually worked as well against vampires, though anything could be deadly if injected into the correct spot. Grabbing the vampire's feet, Finnegan pulls it back out of the house it was dragging itself into, ignoring its pleas, before flipping it onto it's back with a huff. He's quick to plant a heavy booted hand on the vampire's middle, holding it there as it takes out a silver dagger. He peers at the spot his dart had hit, covered by the beast's gloved hand. He must've hit a good spot for the vampire to be weakened so quickly. Just as he had hoped it would be.

The dart hits the vampire in the throat, exactly where it was aimed. The vampire howls in pain, falling to the ground and clutching the side of its neck. Finnegan holds his position a moment longer, making sure that there's no more of the leeches in the house to answer the injured beast's call, before he carefully starts to climb down from the tree. Despite the care he has to take and the pain and stiffness in his legs causing him to take longer then he'd like, he's not worried about the vampire escaping. In fact, he's quite surprised that the vampire is still alive by the time he walks up to check.

"Shh, it's okay. It'll all be over soon." Finnegan says, almost cooing. The vampire still begs relentlessly though, pleading to be released. The hunter is quick to block out the unintelligible begs. How could the vampire not see the favor in the quick death it was about to be granted? An end to the painful existence as a vampire? A release for its soul, in hopes that a reincarnation will be kinder than this life? After a moment of looking at the vampire in pity, he finally ends it, kneeling and forcing the dagger into the beast's throat. It hisses in pain briefly, choking, before finally going limp. Finnegan is glad. He hates it when he gets one that fights back. Just to make sure though, he starts to saw through the vampires neck, ignoring the blood that spatters and pools around him.