Sparks Fly

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

It had been a few weeks since the house fire and since then life had returned to normal for Talia. Work had made her take a couple of weeks off to recover even though she had told them that she was fine but now she was back where she belonged and she knew that her guardian angel was real so even though things hadn’t worked out the way she had thought they would she was glad that she at least knew the truth. Marcus had saved her then just like he had done a few times over the years when she was younger and he had finally come clean with her about that and about what he was. She had always known that there was something different about him but learning that he was a vampire had taken some getting her head around. He had yet to fill her in on the details but she knew that she just had to believe that he would open up when he was ready. One good thing had come of their last meeting though, she had made him promise that he wouldn’t just disappear on her again and that was a promise that she really hoped that he would stick to. He had always been there when she needed him in the past but she wanted to get to know him and try and figure out why she felt drawn to him the way she did and that would only happen if they were able to spend time together.

That evening she had convinced Marcus into going to see a movie with her and even though she knew that it had probably sounded like a pretty ridiculous request to him it was something that she had always enjoyed and she wasn’t sure if he had ever seen one before so it had seemed like a good thing that they could do together. It meant having to go into Port Angeles since they had never thought to build a cinema in Forks and as she made her way from the parking lot down the street towards the cinema she came to a stop as she heard a commotion coming from the alleyway to her left followed by a woman’s scream. “Who’s there?” she called as she made her way into the alley, her instincts to help already kicking in. Soon enough she spotted a dark figure through the darkness and a moment later something dropped to the ground with a thud. She could just make out the body of the woman that had screamed and turned to run but before she could the vampire was in front of her, fangs bared and blood dripping from its mouth. “Please, don’t do this,” she said as she took a couple of steps backwards, trying to put some distance between herself and the creature even as the creature lunged forward to attack. The creature pushed her roughly against the wall, a cry escaping her lips as it did so. “Please,” she breathed.

MARCUS VOLTURI

[MARCUS VOLTURI]

Marcus had told Talia the truth and revealed to her what he was. He had kept from her some things mostly because he didn’t want her to be harmed. But he had agreed to remain in her life and he could not deny her. The pull he felt for her was undeniable though he wants to keep her safe he also doesn’t want what happened with Didyme to happen to Talia. He couldn’t handle that again. So here he was heading to a ‘movie’ which he knew as a moving picture. Marcus had never seen one before but he figured he would indulge the young woman. It was the least he could do. He walked down the lane headed toward the theatre and suddenly he was hit with the smell of blood. It didn’t smell like Talia but he didn’t like that it was so close to where he was supposed to meet her.

Running ahead he followed the scent when he heard the thud followed by the voice he knew like his own name. ’Please, don’t do this.’ Marcus growled before rushing forward and when she spoke please once more he walked up behind the female staring at the vampire in front of her. How dare he try and harm someone dear to him. Walking forward from the shadows he stared at the male in front of Talia. ”You are not allowed to feed on this girl.”he growled at the one standing in front of Talia. Marcus wouldn’t hesitate to rip off the head of the man if he even thought about moving forward to attack her.

TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

It might seem absurd to some to invite a vampire to the movies but the truth was that Talia was still trying to figure Marcus out. He had promised her that he wouldn’t disappear from her life again and she trusted him to keep that promise but she wanted to get to know the man who had inexplicably kept popping up and saving her life when he could have easily killed her himself so many times. There was so much she didn’t know not just about Marcus but also about the world that he lived in and now that she knew at least some of the truth she wanted to learn everything so she hoped that a night out would help him relax and open up a little more. She knew that he was guarded and after everything that she had been through she would be the first to admit that she was too but he was important to her and even though she knew that she should probably keep her distance given what he was she just couldn’t bring herself to do so.

Trouble had a way of following her around, it seemed, because being able to enjoy even just one night seemed beyond her at the moment. The scream had caused her instincts to kick in and she had wanted to help if the person that made the sound was in trouble but straight away it was clear to her that the woman was dead and now pinned against the wall it seemed like she would be following in her footsteps soon enough. Talia tried to fight her way free, her self-preservation instincts kicking in the way they had so many times before, but the vampire was much too strong and as he leaned forward to bite her Talia’s eyes squeezed shut, knowing that the last thing she wanted to do was watch. Before the bite came a voice sounded from beside her, however, a voice she knew better than any other. “Marcus,” she breathed, her eyes opening and hope filling them as he warned the vampire off. It didn’t do any good, though, as it just seemed to make the vampire angry. “Back off, she’s mine,” it growled, not even sparing Marcus a glance as it tried to push him aside before going in for the kill.

MARCUS VOLTURI

(I hope this is ok )

[MARCUS VOLTURI]

Ever since the death of his wife, Marcus had gone into a state of depression that nobody seemed to be able to pull him out from. When he met Talia he felt something shift inside him and he began to change. Now that he had saved her, again, along with revealing himself to her he couldn’t bear to lose her. So if she was ever in danger he planned on doing whatever he could to save the young woman from harm. This vampire in front of the woman he cared about the most was going to pay for what he was about to do. There would not be sympathy given to him as Marcus heard Talia speak his name though she did it as a whisper he could tell she was afraid.

Hearing the vampire tell him to back off he growled and grabbed him by the neck and pulled him off of Talia. ”You dare tell me to back off?”he said tightening his grip on the vampire’s neck. Marcus wasn’t going to allow someone to disrespect him no matter what. He was Volturi and they were to be obeyed no matter the cause. He was alone yes but he could easily defend himself. ”Do you know what happens to vampires that disrespect me?”he asked but didn’t give him a chance to answer. ”They die.”he growled to the idiot who dared harm someone dear to him as well as disrespect him. Marcus was planning on making sure he paid. ”Cover your eyes Talia.”he said to the girl though he knew the sound was much worse than the sight. Marcus hoped to protect her from at least seeing what he was about to do.

Marcus was sure the vampire now knew of the mistake he made due to the fear in his red eyes. An evil grin painted itself across Marcus’ face as he heard the vampire try to plead with him for his life but it was going on deaf ears. As soon as he knew Talia wasn’t looking he took the vampire and ripped his head off before dragging him to the nearby alleyway where his other victim was laying and tossed him in a heap and set him on fire. Marcus smirked watching the purple flames pleased that he was able to scare the living daylights out of the vampire before he died. The vampire knew that it was a member of the Volturi that killed him.

Taking a false breath and dusting off his hands he turned to return to Talia to make sure she was alright. ”Talia….are you alright? Did you bite you?” Marcus was concerned that he was going to lose her too but he didn’t smell blood right away so that was a good sign. He hoped. Standing there he looked her over knowing that she probably had questions about what just happened and he would do his best to answer them the best he could but he needed to make sure she was alright before anything else.

TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON
(I hope that’s alright. If I need to change anything let me know and I will.)

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

Since learning that vampires were real Talia had tried her best to be that much more observant about what was going on in the world around her but she had never thought that she would end up finding herself in this position. A part of her knew that things might have worked out differently if she had decided against investigating the source of the scream she had heard and after everything she had been through her survival instinct had been telling her to keep walking rather than go to the woman’s aid but in the end her desire to help had won out. She honestly hadn’t known what she would find when she made her way into the alley but if someone was in trouble she had known that she couldn’t just walk on by. Had Marcus taken that stance with her then she knew that she would have died a long time ago but he hadn’t, instead he had given her more chances to live than she perhaps deserved and she knew that she wanted to do something good with her life. She had no idea what her future was going to hold but she knew that she wanted to make life better for as many people as possible. That was what had driven her to become a paramedic in the first place, seeing the way the paramedics had worked so hard to save her dad after the car crash had made her want to become a first responder and it was all of the training she had been through that had caused her to try and help the woman.

The moment the body hit the floor she had known that events were going to take a very different turn, however, and she couldn’t deny that she was scared. Pinned to the wall her heart felt like it was trying to beat its way right out of her ribcage and no matter how hard she struggled against the vampire she knew that she was powerless. The moment she had heard Marcus’ voice she had felt both relieved and terrified at the same time. “Marcus, please don’t. I don’t want you to get hurt,” she breathed, knowing that he would hear her anyway. If anything happened to him she knew that she would never be able to forgive himself but as he growled at the other vampire she could tell that he wasn’t going to take any notice of her plea. Instead he was pulling the other vampire off of her and telling her to cover her eyes and she knew that all she could do was oblige. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was the look of fear in the other vampire’s face and she forced herself to turn the other way, knowing that she didn’t trust herself not to look. The sounds that followed were enough to give her an idea about what had happened next but she was far enough away that she couldn’t make out any details and for that she was grateful.

Finally Marcus returned to her and she opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, taking a shaky breath before answering. “I’m fine. You got here just in time,” she admitted, clasping her hands together to try and stop them from shaking. Without even thinking about it she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you. You saved me again,” she said, blinking away the tears she refused to let fall as she pulled back. “We’ve got to stop running into each other like this.” She had never been weak, everything that she had been through had caused her to develop somewhat of a thick skin but she couldn’t deny that what had happened had scared her more than she wanted to admit even to herself. She knew that she wasn’t going to let what had happened affect her too much, though, she would move on from it the same way she had every other horror of her past but she knew that it would take a little time. A part of her wanted to ask what Marcus had done to the other vampire but from the way he had answered his own question when he had asked what happened to vampires that disrespected him she was pretty sure she already knew the answer to that question so instead she chose to ask another. “The way he looked at you, it was like he recognised you and he was terrified. Are you some kind of vampire royalty or something?” she asked, unaware of just how close to the mark she was with her question.

MARCUS VOLTURI

[MARCUS VOLTURI]

Having heard Talia plead with him not to because he would get hurt he knew he would need to explain a lot more to her then he had initially. This was going to be a long night. Marcus also knew that this is not how he planned on the night going at all. He wanted to enjoy the moving picture with her and maybe take her out to eat or just go for a stroll. Nowhere on the agenda was killing a vampire. As he was checking her over to make sure the vampire hadn’t actually harmed her he nodded and the tension in his shoulder seeped out of him and he visually relaxed. It made him feel so much better knowing that she was unharmed.

Lifting the corner of his lip in a small smirk he just shrugged. ”It seems to be what I am good at.”je said brushing the unshed tears from her cheeks. With a chuckle he nodded agreeing with her wholeheartedly. ”I might have to just stay by your side at all times to make sure no harm comes to you.”he said only joking a tiny bit. He was starting to wonder if he should keep an eye on her at all times the way trouble seemed to follow her. He couldn’t lose her life he’d lost Didyme. It would kill him.

Brushing a light hand over her hair to fix it he waited patiently for the question he knew she was dying to ask. When it finally came he closed his eyes and looked to the ground trying to think of how to answer her. ”I suppose you could say that. I am a part of a coven that is as close to vampire royalty as you can honestly get.”he explained before offering her his arm so he could escort her away from this seemingly unsafe area. ”I suppose I should explain fully about who I am and what I mean to the vampires of the world.”he said hoping to get her away from this area so he could feel better about keeping her safe. This didn’t seem like the best place to talk about these types of things.

TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

There were so many times when Talia had found herself in danger over the course of her life so far and so many times when she shouldn’t have managed to make it through that danger but each time she seemed to have someone looking out for her and more often than not it was Marcus. For a long time she had thought that perhaps the doctors were right and that she had imagined him but they hadn’t been able to explain how she had survived any other way so learning that he was real had been a huge relief to her. She hadn’t known him for very long but she already knew that she cared about him and even though he was trying to save her again this time from a vampire that seemed determined to make her its next victim she knew that she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if Marcus ended up getting hurt. She didn’t want to die, in fact far from it as everything that had happened over the last fifteen years had made her more determined to fight to survive than ever, but at the end of the day she knew that her luck was going to run out sooner or later and the last thing she wanted was for Marcus to end up getting caught in the crossfire when he had already done so much for her.

“You wouldn’t hear any arguments from me,” Talia admitted as he said he might just have to stay by her side at all times. She had never been the kind of person who relied on anyone else all the time, she had always prided herself on being independent and being able to look after herself but she couldn’t deny that the idea of Marcus being around more thrilled her. She didn’t know why he kept being drawn to her the way he had been but she felt just as drawn to him and considering that she had lost just about everyone else in her life that had ever meant something to her she knew that she didn’t want to add Marcus to that list as well. His touch had been gentle as he had wiped away her tears and it was the same as he fixed her hair. Taking a deep breath to ground herself Talia knew that she had to pull herself together and as Marcus spoke again she was able to do just that. “You’re right about that, now you have to tell me everything,” she nodded as she slipped her arm through his. “Why don’t we skip the movie and go for a walk instead? We can catch it another time,” she suggested, knowing that right now she was much more interested in learning more about Marcus and what he had meant when he said that his coven was as close to vampire royalty as they could get.

MARCUS VOLTURI

[MARCUS VOLTURI]

Hearing the way she responded to his statement of keeping a closer eye on her he gave a slight chuckle which surprised her as he hadn’t laughed in a very long time. Internally he was confused by the emotion as he hadn’t felt anything besides grief for several hundred years. Clearing his throat despite not needing to, he looked up at the blonde in front of him and nodded. ”I suppose we shall see. Hopefully we won’t have to worry about that anymore.”he said watching the female for a moment. He really hoped she would avoid trouble in the future but because of who he was Marcus knew it was a possibility that she would get in a snag again.

Standing in front of Talia, Marcus nodded knowing she would want the whole story now. It was only right that he tell her what he was now. Hopefully it didn’t cause her problems later. ”Very well. I will tell you as much as I feel it is safe for you to know.”he said though he probably should tell her most as now that he was a part of her life she had the right to know what and who he was fully. As she placed her arm through his he nodded and began leading her back to a safer part. ”Probably a very good idea. Going another time would be best.”he said as he began walking with her. Marcus sure where to start but he knew he should start near the beginning. ”As you know I am a very old vampire. I am considered ancient in vampire terms.”he said beginning his tale.

Marcus knew she would have questions and he would allow them. ”The coven I am apart of which is like my family is called the Volturi coven. It is me, two males and their mates. I consider them my brothers. We lead and rule over all vampires around the world. As I said the closest thing to royalty you can get. We lead together and have the Volturi Guard below us which are basically like our form of military.”he explained as they continued on their way. Marcus ws sure to keep his voice low so only she could hear him and no one could overhear.


TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

For a long time Talia had suspected that there was more to the world than she knew, it had been the only explanation that had made sense for how one person could go in and out of her life so many times over the years without ever getting any older. She had never for one moment thought that Marcus would turn out to be a vampire considering a few times when she had seen him had been during the day but it made sense. The vampires of the world weren’t like those written about in books or portrayed in films, they were completely different and even though deep down she knew that she should probably feel a little scared about being in such close proximity to him, he had been nothing but kind to her and he had saved her life on more than one occasion so the truth was that she trusted him completely. She had never seen herself as the damsel in distress type and if she was honest she absolutely hated feeling defenceless but Marcus had shown up in her life when she had needed him the most and she was grateful to him for that.

“Hopefully,” she agreed. For as long as she could remember she had always been an independent person, safe in the knowledge that the only person she could really count on in life was herself, but now Marcus truly was a part of her life and he was ready to let him in. The only other person she had let get close to her who hadn’t ended up betraying her was Caius but it had been such a long time since she had last seen him and she had no idea where he was now so it was good to know that there was someone else that she could depend on but she knew that she was going to have to be careful and avoid causing Marcus any more worry than she had already. As Marcus said that he would tell her as much as it was safe for her to know, Talia found herself nodding. Marcus had made himself a part of her world and he seemed intent on sticking around this time so she knew that she wanted to make sure that she was a part of his world as well and that meant learning as much about him as she could. It was a talk that she knew was long overdue and she knew that for the moment everything else could wait. As he began explaining Talia listened intently, waiting for him to pause before speaking. “Wow, you really are vampire royalty,” she breathed, knowing that the other vampire’s reaction when he realised who Marcus was definitely made sense now. “You say your family is led by you, two males and their mates but not you’re mate. You’re alone?” she asked, her heart going out to him in that moment.

MARCUS VOLTURI

[MARCUS VOLTURI]

Continuing their walk, Marcus allowed for Talia to process what he was telling her as well as letting her ask questions if she wanted to. He nodded when she spoke of him really being vampire royalty. ”Somebody has to do it. I just happen to be one of them.”he commented as they walked. Though there had been quite a few moments where he knew that Aro wanted full control and just used himself and Caius as pawns to help with leading. It was all for show since Aro could read minds with a touch of a hand but still Marcus had been catatonic for so long he didn’t much care. As with the decision to move to La Push had been a crazy one it had brought Marcus into the life of the woman whose arm was draped through his own. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was fate.

When she began he question his quick mind began to automatically fill in the blanks of the rest of it. Mostly because it was a question he had been expected upon his explanation. The hesitation he felt wasn’t because he didn’t want to answer her question. The hesitation was because he had been trying not to think about his beloved wife, Didyme. Slowly their pace, Marcus frowned as the memories flew through his mind. ”I have no mate. My dearest Didyme has been gone for a very long time.”he said frowning at the thought of having been alone all those years. Marcus had been accustomed to it though it still hurt to think about. He missed his dearest Didyme and couldn’t help but feel the heartache that came with it.

At this time, Marcus wouldn’t notice must as the nostalgia of the memories of his wife were clouding his mind but the pain was less than what it had been before meeting Talia. The pain had been so great for so long that he couldn’t see that bringing Talia into his life seemed to get his mind and heart off of the loss. Marcus and Didyme had been a love story among the world of vampires though it was long forgotten now. Perhaps Talia was the key to healing the cold, long dead heart of this vampire royal.

TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

“That makes sense,” Talia nodded. Every country had a ruler of some kind so she knew that she shouldn’t really be that surprised that it was the same for vampires but she couldn’t deny that she was a little unsure as to why someone so important in the world had taken an interest in her. She had never been anyone special, just someone who had become an orphan at a young age and had ended up being dealt a really bad hand in life followed quite closely by some very bad decisions and yet Marcus had shown up in her life not just once but on multiple occasions and each time he had saved her. She had never been the kind of person who liked to rely on others but when it came to Marcus she knew that she owed him her life and she knew that she was going to have to be a lot more careful from now on to make sure that he didn’t end up regretting his decision to be a part of her life. Even now she still didn’t understand why trouble seemed to have such a habit of finding her, she never deliberately went looking for it and yet she could never seem to stay out of it for too long.

Marcus’ hesitation didn’t go unnoticed after she asked her question and as he slowed their pace, Talia drew them to a complete stop as he answered her. “I’m so sorry Marcus,” she said sincerely. “I can see how much she meant to you, she was a very lucky woman.” Given what she knew about Marcus she didn’t doubt him when he said that Didyme had been gone for a very long time. Marcus had told her that he was ancient even in vampire terms so a part of her couldn’t help but wonder just how long it had been since he had lost her but she knew better than to ask. It was clear that he still missed her and Talia knew that the last thing she wanted was to reopen old wounds. “For what it’s worth you deserve to be happy so I hope you’ll find someone who makes you feel that again someday,” she added, a small smile touching her lips as she squeezed his arm gently before continuing their walk. “So how old are you?” she asked as they walked, unable to contain her curiosity about that at least.

MARCUS VOLTURI

[MARCUS VOLTURI]

Hearing her he nodded as it was a normal for him. He had never really taken interest in anything since the death of his wife and so his interesting in Talia was very unusual. Marcus wondered if perhaps she was his ‘singer’ as when he first saw her, Talia’s blood is what drew him to her and yet upon seeing the young child he instantly knew he couldn’t harm her. Something about the innocence of her made him not harm her and as she grew and somehow continued to find herself in harm’s way Marcus knew he needed to protect her. It was just how it was. He couldn’t allow harm to come to this precious young woman who had come to mean so much to him.

When Talia stopped them he glanced up at her when she spoke and he gave her a slight smile. ”Thank you, Talia. She meant a great deal to me and I honestly believe it was I who was the lucky one.”he said giving her a slight smile which was very un-Marcus thought when it came to Didyme everything was very un-Marcus. As the young blonde female spoke of him deserving happiness again and that she hoped he would find someone who makes him feel that again he laughed lightly and nodded. ”That is very kind of you, Talia. To wish happiness on a monster like me. I appreciate the sentiment though I am not sure if anyone could care for me the way she did.”he said and continued walking with the young woman.

Marcus had always believed that one of their kind mated for life though it was probably because if something happened to the mate the surviving one sought revenge before dying themselves. That was obviously not the case with Marcus as he had been made to live for the sake of Aro’s the Vampire kingdom. He’d begged for death so many times and yet it had not yet come. But as he spent more time with Talia he had come to wonder if perhaps he could find happiness again.

When he was with the young blonde he felt renewed and revived. She seemed to bring out things in him that he had not felt in a very long time. It was nice to be able to smile a real smile after spending many a millennia in a frozen state. Talia then asked the one question he was sure she was burning with curiosity about. He had said he was ancient but he had not elaborated on exactly how old he was.

Thinking of how old he actually was as at some point he stopped counting but he did know what year he was born and with the mind of a vampire he came up with the exact calculation for it. ”My dear Talia, the vampire walking beside you is well over 3200 years old.”he said wondering how she would react. Wishing to see her face as he told her, Marcus had his eyes trained on the young blonde curious as to how she would take the news of her vampire protector being so old.

TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

Talia would be the first to admit that trouble seemed to have a habit of following her around. Ever since her parents died she had often found herself getting in too deep with people that she shouldn’t have gotten involved with and on more than one occasion Marcus had stepped in to help her out. She knew that she would never be able to repay the kindness that he had shown her over the years, he had saved her life a few times already and that evening was just the latest to add to the list. She didn’t know why she always seemed to end up finding herself in situations like that but at the end of the day it didn’t seem like it was something that she could do anything about so she knew that she was just going to have to hope that Marcus continued to be there when she needed him. She had never seen herself as the damsel in distress type but she had learned not to turn away help when it came along and Marcus had proved to her time and time again that he cared so she knew that she wasn’t going to take that for granted.

As Marcus said that he believed he was the lucky one to have had his wife, Talia couldn’t stop a smile from touching her lips. It was clear to her that he still cared about his wife and that was admirable given that it sounded like he had lost her a long time ago. Most people would have moved on long ago but Talia had learned a while ago that Marcus wasn’t like most people so she knew that she shouldn’t really be that surprised that he hadn’t been able to move on and find love again. As he spoke again she brought her hand up and let it rest against his cheek as her eyes met his. “I don’t believe that you’re a monster. If you were you would have let me die the day you first found me or any time since then but you didn’t, you always came to my rescue when I needed you the most and those aren’t the actions of a monster,” she assured him. She didn’t know why Marcus had chosen to help her each time but he had and for that she was grateful. He might not believe that he deserved to be loved but Talia certainly did.

Normally Talia wouldn’t even dream of asking someone how old they were since she knew that it wasn’t often the done thing but with Marcus her curiosity had ended up getting the better of her. He had said that he was ancient and from the way he talked sometimes she believed that but as he said he was over three thousand year old her eyes widened in surprise. “Three thousand?” she asked, not sure that she had heard him right at first. It took a moment for the shock to subside but when it did she felt her smile return. “I wasn’t expecting that but I can safely say you look good for your age, you don’t look a day over twenty five,” she teased. “How old were you when you became a vampire?” she asked as she looked over at him. She was also curious as to how he had become one in the first place but she knew that it would be good to hear one thing at a time.

MARCUS VOLTURI

[MARCUS VOLTURI]

The biggest thing in Marcus' belief is that no matter what happened he would never forget Didyme or the love the two vampires had shared. It was a love of loves and he wished he could have protected her from the ambush that took her life. Sadly Marcus couldnt change the past no matter how much he wished he could. Perhaps Talia was his redemption and the fact that she touched his cheek and claimed he wasnt a monster caused the old vampire to stare at her in shock and surprise. He really shouldnt be as surprised as he seemed considering she wasnt frightened of him. Talia had seen a lot of monsters in her lifetime. All of them human. This vampire before her was nothing compared to them as he had saved her many times. He couldnt let anything happen to her.

Reaching up he took her hand in his own and laid a light kiss on her knuckles. "Thank you for believing such a thing for me, Miss Talia. But if you knew what I have done over the years then you would rethink your answer. I do not wish to give you nightmares so I will not tell you any of those things."he said looking down at the blonde female that held at least a small piece of his heart. Marcus didnt want to give her more trouble than he already by coming into her life. He knew better and he really shouldnt have come into her life and stayed here. Something about her made him come back and stay. Marcus didnt feel like he could leave her now though he was breaking one of the biggest rules of his kind.

Seeing the widening of her eyes Marcus laughed knowing she was surprised by how old he was. With a nod, Marcus smirked at the young blonde female. "Yes. Three thousand two hundred and sixty-eight to be exact."he said knowing that might possibly throw her even more into shock. When her shock faded he smiled then hesitated a moment when she asked how old he had been when he became a vampire. "I was nineteen when my human life ended and my vampire life began."he responded looking up at her. He felt the need to jump to assumption that one of the next questions she would ask would be how he became a vampire. Did he really want to tell her of the darkness that he had lived through before becoming a vampire?

Taking in a false breath, Marcus closed his eyes thinking back to the hazey memories of his human life. "I remember little of my parents but I believe the they were farmers. I was a child when they sent me to be a temple slave. It wasnt till I was much older that I learned the truth of where I was. My parents did not know where they had sent me and honestly I do not believe they ever did."he said opening his eyes to look down at her once more. Marcus sighed deeply as he looked at her. "I was a slave in the coven of vampires that ruled before we did. I served the temple leaders and when I turned nineteen I was taken to the castles that belonged to the rulers."Marcus frowned as he continued walking along with Talia. He hadn't spoken of those days for a very long time if he ever had to anyone except Didyme though he doesnt recall actually sharing how he was turned with his late wife.

It was becoming obvious to Marcus that Talia had somehow found a special place in him and he was sharing thing with her he had never shared with anyone. "The one that turned me didn't finish me off. So I was sent to where they were to dispose of those that had been fed from. Typically they disposed of them quickly but there were times when they did not do so. After three days of burning pain I opened my eyes into a new life that I have been existing in for all these millennia."he said as they walked along making sure no one else heard the story he told her. Marcus was surprised he was telling her all this but she had a right to know what had caused him to be what he is. Especially since that was more likely one of her next questions. He hoped he wouldnt scare her off with his story.

TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON

[TALIA ELIZABETH DAWSON]

From the first time Marcus saved her Talia had known that there was something different about him but she had never had the chance to figure out what. There had been small hints over the years, at one point she had caught sight of his bright red eyes and at another she had seen his skin sparkle in the sun but those instances had been so far apart that she knew that she never would have been able to put it all together on her own. He wasn’t like the vampires that she had read about in books or seen in films, he was kind and gentle and he seemed to have a habit of turning up in her life when she needed him the most. She knew that she would have died a long time ago had it not been for him, before she had even had the chance to really start living her life, so as far as she was concerned she owed Marcus everything. She still didn’t know why he had taken such an interest in her but she knew that she wasn’t going to waste the chances that he had given her.

It took Talia by surprise a little when Marcus kissed her knuckles but she shook her head as he spoke. “Nothing would change my mind about you,” she assured him, her tone sincere as she spoke. “You have saved my life over and over again even though it probably went against your natural instincts to kill me. I don’t know why you did that but I’ve come across plenty of monsters over the years and that definitely isn’t something that a monster would do,” she said as she let her eyes meet his. She had seen a lot over the course of her life so far – ranging from abusive foster parents to psychotic thieves who were happy to kill to get what they wanted and just about everything else in between – but in her eyes Marcus was nothing like those people. He was kind and gentle and even though a part of her was worried that he might disappear again the way he had done so many times before, he meant a lot to her. There was one question that had been bothering her ever since she had found out what Marcus was and she knew that she had to ask it now. “Why do you keep saving me?” she asked, certain that there had to be a reason. He always seemed to show up when she needed him the most and even though she was grateful to him for it she also couldn’t help but wonder why. Ever since her parents died nothing in her life had ever been that good but Marcus’ kindness had given her the chance to turn her life around and help people the way she had wanted to all along and she knew that it was so much more than she deserved.

“You were so young,” Talia breathed as Marcus said that he was only nineteen when he became a vampire. She knew just how easy it was for a person’s life to come to an end at such a young age since it had almost happened to her as well but she couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for him to become something like that. As Marcus began his tale all Talia could do was listen and she fell into step beside him, reaching over and taking his hand in hers as they walked. His skin was ice cold to the touch but the truth was that she didn’t mind, He was opening up to her in a way that she hadn’t expected and that small connection helped her get her head around what he was telling her. “I know things would have been different back then but I can’t imagine a parent sending their own child into a life like that even if they didn’t know who their child was really serving,” she admitted. While it was true that the foster parents she’d had over the years probably would have done the same thing if given half a chance her biological parents never would have dreamed of such a thing. “I’m glad you made it, I can’t imagine a world without you in it,” Talia said gently. So many people had tried to convince her that she had just imagined Marcus helping her but she had never wanted to believe it and she had always taken comfort from the fact that there was a chance that he was out there somewhere. “What happened after that?” she asked, not sure whether that was when he had met Didyme and the others or whether there was more to the story.

MARCUS VOLTURI