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17 – Bursting the Bubble

Edward was positive that he was living the worst day of his life so far. After spending so much time in a little bubble of happiness, sharing his daily activities with his Jacob, basking in the slave's innocence and pureness, breaking down the young man's barriers brick by brick in an exercise of patience, it was unbearable having to endure a whole night involuntarily sharing the malicious thoughts of the Volturis. He thanked God that only three of them had attended the party. Not that they were expecting the mighty trio that governed vampires' world to be there.

He knew Rosalie had meant well when she invited the clan; therefore, he couldn't even blame his sister for his torment. No one understood politics or how to please arrogant and spoiled rich people – humans or vampires – in his family as much as his blonde sister. Maybe it was due to the fact that she had been one of them while she was human, although he didn't like to think like that because it kind of diminished her honest effort to protect the family, the ones she truly loved, even though she tried her hardest to make them believe otherwise. It was just her way to deal with her unwanted immortal life.

It was very important to keep the good neighbors policy with the vampire world's rules for their family; the Cullens and the Denalis were considered bizarre and intriguing enough by the majority of their kind to pose as a threat to their well-established government system. The fact that Carlisle had once been a part of the Volturi only added to their "caution" with their family; they thought that Edward's father had too much inside information to be fully trusted.

While walking around the ballroom and making polite small talk with the guests, occasionally reading their minds to make sure everyone had bought their "kind invitation", his multi-tasking vampire mind replayed the last disastrous hours since Alec and Jane's arrival. Since the moment the red eyed male vampire had laid eyes on Jacob, he hadn't had a single moment of peace.

Alec had openly shown an insulting interest in his precious boy, especially when the family reunited to entertain their guests the previous night. The mind reader had considered the possibility that Alec was purposely having lascivious thoughts about Jacob just to irritate him, since the Volturi clan was very aware of his ability; they even had developed a satisfactory method to deceive it, concentrating on random things well enough to cover their real thoughts.

The blond, red eyed vampire even went as far as considering proposing a generous business transaction for his possession. As if Jacob was a mere shining object. To say Edward was pissed was an understatement; he was beyond angry, barely restraining himself from ripping the older vampire's head off, not only due to his corrosive jealousy – though that was the main reason – but also because he was worried about what the Volturi soldier really wanted to do with his human.

Sure, he could simply be lusting over Jacob. Practically everyone that saw his magnificent beauty did so, but that would be highly inconsistent with Alec's behavior. First, because he was well known for his sick pleasure of "playing with his food." Usually, he seduced some poor human female, making her fall desperately in love with him so he could crush her heart before feeding off of her.

That scandalous habit of his had brought enormous headaches to his masters, costing thousands of dollars to fix his evil deeds; he hadn't really considered if those humans were someone else's slaves or if they belonged to the few wealthy human families. His ability of numbing opponents – along with his sister's loyalty – had to be really treasured among the Volturis to make them put up with that rebellious behavior.

The second reason was intimately connected with the first one. Females. Alec never had shown any interest in anyone his own gender. Not that that meant anything. Edward had never thought he would be attracted to a male before, so it was possible that the man that held his heart was as alluring to others as he was to him.

But Edward hadn't been attracted to anyone, male or female, before he saw Jacob's face in Alice's mind while she was having a vision of an unbelievably handsome Native American man, standing on a filthy auction room stage, being displayed for sale. He was taken by his innocent features instantly; mesmerized by the way his beautiful, black, straight hair fell down, partially hiding his face, but not enough to hide his proud, dark-brown eyes. There was no doubt that he would have been a warrior in the old times.

And just like that, Edward found his forever, the thing he had been waiting for his whole long life, without even knowing it. He had found his mate.

Actually, Alice had, but that was just a small detail.

It wouldn't be impossible, only very unlikely, for Alec to be attracted to the human, though there was something odd about the Volturi member's interest in Jacob because, after those stressful hours in the living room, Alec had blocked his mind. The bronze haired vampire had managed to catch glimpses of his thoughts, something about the teenager's scent, which only further infuriated him. That pervert had no right to sniff what was his.

Because Jacob was that. His. Only his. And Alec would never touch him. He would rip the Volturi soldier's hands off to make sure of it, if necessary.

"So, it's true!" Demetri's voice sounded in his ear, taking him out of his reminiscence. "Receiving the invitation to your party was beneficial to me, Edward. I had to come to see if the gossip on the streets had some truth. And there he is! Edward Cullen's personal slave! And a male on top of that! I thought your family was beyond those mundane habits of modern vampires."

He didn't make any attempt to disguise his envy. Demetri was trying to get the bronze haired vampire's attention for years without any success. In fact, his unrequited desire for Edward had increased exponentially over the years, nearing obsession. The Cullens were really glad that Demetri's duties as the main tracker of the Volturi guard kept him constantly occupied so he wasn't able to keep harassing him. The fact that Edward had bought a male slave wouldn't pass unnoticed by him. Considering what most owners did with their slaves, it wasn't difficult to comprehend that he had chosen a human, a human slave to be precise, over him. To a Volturi that was the ultimate insult.

"They changed their minds three years ago, Demetri. Speaking of it, where's Carlisle's slave? I hadn't seen him at the party." Alec said with evident sarcasm, shamelessly intruding on their conversation.

"He didn't come. He wasn't feeling well today. It's so thoughtful of you to remember how much time Tyler has been with us, Alec. Although, I know it's remarkable; it's not everyday that my family has to spend such a large amount of money to help the Volturi. But don't worry, everything seems to be quite fine since Jane invaded that auction room and drained that poor girl dry. Luckily for all of us, she hadn't been sold yet," Edward replied in a calm voice, smiling at the visible alteration in Alec's mood.

"She was her singer!" the older vampire hissed, barely containing his anger.

"And somebody else's property," Edward said, still very calm. "If I didn't know any better, I would think Carlisle has some king of persuasion ability. You should have seen how furious the Romanian clan was. Aro was really grateful for his help. I thought he would be here today because he mentioned something about wanting to personally thank him."

"Our master has a lot of work to do, keeping our world functioning perfectly," Demetri stated, interrupting what he was sure it would turn into a diplomatic problem for his coven. "I'm sure Alec and Jane told your family about his deep regret for not being able to attend this lovely party."

"We made sure of it," Alec murmured, through clenched teeth. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to look around. I think Rosalie did a fantastic job inviting all these different people; it would be a shame to miss the opportunity of talking to them. There's really interesting people around."

Edward watched Alec distancing himself from them with a satisfied smile due to his little victory, frowning at the other vampire's concentration to conceal his thoughts. It was disturbing to know that Alec really was plotting something he considerate worth hiding by reciting Goethe in German, and the bronze haired man made a mental note to pay close attention to him to try and find what it was.

Demetri demanded his attention again with a lot of questions about his decision to finally have a personal slave. The younger pale creature could see in his mind that he was trying to figure out exactly what kind of relationship he had with Jacob, and he was thankful for all the years his family spent restraining their vampire nature, avoiding any kind of confrontation so he managed to circumvent the subject with evasive answers.

When the tracker realized that he wasn't making any progress with his extensive questionnaire, he decided to try a different approach. Maybe the attractive male before him hadn't yielded to his charms sooner simply because he wasn't ready to. After all, he had been changed at such young age and so sheltered by his overprotective "family" that it was a miracle he hasn't turned into some laughable kind of vampire priest; he was certainly a prude. Demetri could even picture him spending the rest of his endless life fucking the same person, but that only added to his alluring aura.

Yes, the Volturi member had it bad. And he would get what he wanted.

"Let's dance!" he said, taking Edward by the hand, not granting him any time to come up with some excuse.

The mind reader was so focused on Alec's thoughts, trying to find a leak in his sheltered mind, that the tracker's unexpected rude advance took him by surprise, and his eyes searched for Jacob's form in a defensive reflex, betraying his carefully constructed façade. It was just a little slip, but Demetri's advanced vampire mind needed nothing more to confirm his suspicions. The homicidal jealousy he felt would be enough to suppress all his rationality if it wasn't for all the years spent intensively training the body and sharpening the mind required to be part of the Volturi's elite. As a result, instead of instantly murdering the human slave as he would prefer, he formed a plan.

"Funny, I never took you for a naughty boy, Edward," he started with a teasing tone, pressing their bodies together in a slow, sensual motion, even though everyone else was dancing frenetically to the music's rapid beat.

"It's not surprising, since you barely know me at all, Demetri. But can I ask what I am being accused of?" Edward asked, trying to put some distance between their bodies without any success.

"Fooling around with a human! Are you sure this is an acceptable behavior for a Cullen?" Demetri pressed.

"What I do or don't do with my property is none of your or anybody else's business! And I would appreciate if you keep your perverted thoughts to yourself. Jacob already has been through enough," he retorted firmly.

"Hum, defensive! Did someone ever tell you how sexy you look with that fire in your eyes? Delicious!" the older vampire murmured in a sensual tone, pressing his pelvis against Edward's, making him feel his erection, adding, "Unfortunately for you, though, your posture just confirms how much you care for the little human. I never understood the appeal those fragile things have for you Cullens, but that doesn't matter, since it'll get me what I want."

"What do you mean?" the golden eyed creature asked, alarmed all of a sudden.

Demetri opened his thoughts for him, smiling deviously. It was a simple plan, really. If Edward wished to keep his "pet," as the tracker offensively referred to Jacob, he would have to become his permanent lover, finally caving to the Volturi member's lust-filled obsession, and not only once, but every time he felt like having him. And Demetri intended to have him plenty of times.

Since vampires were extremely territorial beings, it was inevitable to have occasional fights over buying slaves, but those fights always ended up with massive destruction, causing the loss of humans, which was, ultimately, loss of the vampires' food source. Therefore, it was established that no vampire was allowed to use their extra abilities to influence any sale, no matter how powerful they were.

Demetri only had to inform the Volturi that Edward broke the law when he bought Jacob to annul the binding, sending the human back to the auction room, where he couldn't be sold to the same clan again, and the vampire to be sentenced to death for his misbehavior.

Edward felt a sharp pain hitting his chest, right in the place where his heart used to beat. His eyes burned, reminding him that, as much as he felt like crying, he wasn't able to do that anymore. A thousand things crossed his mind in just one second, blocking it from anything else around him; he no longer could hear the voices in his head, no longer searched for Jacob's thoughts to make sure he was okay.

There was only one thought – he had been trapped; he needed to assure his family and Jacob's security and keep the Volturi as far away from them as possible. He also knew that his most desired dream would never come true; Demetri wouldn't wait one second more than necessary to claim his prize, so the bronze haired man wouldn't have the pleasure to lose his virginity to the man he loved, he would never be able to make love in his first real sexual encounter.

Gathering all his strength, he composed himself and pressed his hard body even more against the coldness of his partner's, allowing the other male free access to whatever part of his body he wanted.

"It's not like I won't enjoy your plan, anyway," the younger vampire said in a sexy tone, fighting the revulsion he felt inside him.

His mind sought refuge in Jacob's image. While Demetri rubbed his private parts against his own, he remembered all the sweet, sexy and exciting moments he spent seducing the adorable human, pretending that the hard dick pressing against his thighs was the beautiful penis that had already granted him more pleasure than he ever dreamed about. Those memories brought a smile to his somber face, satisfying his partner – who convinced himself that he was the one making him smile – and he relaxed a little bit, still lost in his thoughts.

Sure, he wasn't a damsel in distress; he was rational enough to understand that he could do what was being required of him without suffering. It was just sex. It wasn't like he hadn't considered doing it just for the fun of it before Jacob, so he knew he could do it. But something always held him back; he was never really interested enough in anybody to succumb to his basic needs, and when the love for his boy occupied the void in his empty heart, he understood what he was waiting for.

"I'll make sure you enjoy it as much as I will," the red eyed male stated, smiling proudly. "I'll meet you in the alleyway behind the club in five minutes."

He had won. It had been so easy that it wasn't even fun. Well, he would think about something to compensate for that.

"Edward, here you are, I've been looking all over for you! I dared Jasper to eat cake, you can't miss it," Emmett yelled next to them.

Edward had never thanked his brother so much for his inconvenience. Though he knew him well enough to see past his eternal façade of dumbness; his eyes were alert and his fists were clenched, ready for a fight.

"Not here! Alaska. I'll send word about when and where," Edward murmured right below Demetri's ear, before turning his back and following Emmett.

He had to be very careful because his family couldn't know about that; they most probably would try to defend him and cause a fight, which they sure couldn't win. Alice would be a problem, but he could convince her to keep a secret.

"Whatever it is, it's not gonna work," Emmett stated, losing his jovial attitude.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Did Alice say something?" the bronze haired male asked, preoccupied.

"Just to keep you away from Demetri for the rest of the night," his brother answered and he was, once more, thankful for her discretion.

"This will be an easy task," he said absently, looking for Jacob among the crowd. "Did you see Jacob?"

"He went outside. Don't worry; Bella and Alice are with him."

"What? Why would Alice take both of them out of the party?" he thought.

Just then, Alice appeared at the front door. Alone. Where was his Jacob?

A/N: So now you know what really happened with Edward! I was kind of worry because some of you were really upset with him for not paying attention to Jake. Poor Eddie, he had his hands full!

I wanna thank my beta EdwardsMate4Ever for her support. I wasn't really sure about this chapter, but she made a little more confident. Please, leave me a review to tell me if you like it or not.

Just so you know, I hate Demetri – in this story, not in Twilight books. I want him to go die alone in a hole.

Oh, and I'm disappointed with you, guys! Or maybe with me, I don't know! I thought you would be curious about what happened to Tyler, but only one person asked about him. Hum… did that mean I wasn't successful in making his story interesting? Let me know, ok?

See ya! ;)