Prologue
Carlisle sighed as he gazed at the residential dwelling he was about to enter. Part of him could not believe he was really going to do this, but he was experiencing moments of weakness, loneliness, and helplessness. It was 1867, and for once there were no major wars or catastrophes taking place in Western Europe. Carlisle had his fill with the Volturi and found himself spending various days wandering. The travel was interesting, there were many wonderful sights and beautiful countries Carlisle finally explored, but he still longed for company and companionship.
These days Carlisle found himself in Madrid, Spain. Most likely not the best choice to have made. With all the days of sunny and brilliant weather, he often had to wait until dusk before venturing out into the streets. He still mingled with people, especially at the wine and tapas bars, but again there had to be a distance maintained. However, it was from these mingling events that he heard of the Amado sisters.
Apparently they were the most popular ladies of the night in the district. There were various rumors and tales about these women, one being that they were vampires, the latter though most really did not believe. Carlisle, however, was curious. The Volturi did not mention anything about another coven of vampires in Spain running a brothel. Could it be true though? He had heard of the possibility of various species of vampires existing in the world, which would explain why they were not a concern of the Volturi. Evidently these ladies could be low key.
The idea of visiting a brothel sat funny with Carlisle. Even though it had been centuries now, his strict Anglican upbringing still haunted him in various ways, adding to the agony he experienced during his transformation into the preternatural beast that preyed upon humankind. However, he tried to look at it more as an opportunity to learn and possibly to encounter more of his kind.
So here he was, at dusk, standing outside the building he was directed to go to. When he knocked on the door it was quickly answered and he was immediately guided inside. Carlisle was greeted by three women who all looked exactly alike. Clearly they were identical triplets.
Naturally they were breathtakingly beautiful. All three were statuesque and very curvaceous with long warm black hair weaving down their backs in generous waves. Their eyes were a similar gold color as Carlisle's, especially now that he had gone hunting just hours before, but the tone resembled more a stone of petrified amber. Carlisle took a breath in and smelled them, the scent was both familiar and different at the same time. Yes, he could tell they were vampires, but not like any of the kind he encountered before. The ladies were all smiling and had a very welcoming and accommodating tone and posture. Carlisle examined and observed each woman. One thing he noticed was that their skin. The color was as pale as his, but had a warmer tone to it, a very faint pale yellow as opposed to the almost blue pallor of his and every other vampire he was acquainted with.
"You must be Carlisle" one of the ladies smiled and greeted him in perfect English but with a breathy and raspy Castilian accent. "We were expecting you. Welcome! We hope you are enjoying the city of Madrid." She came over and shook Carlisle's hand coupled with the traditional greeting of kissing each other on the cheek. Another surprise was how warm their hands and bodies felt. Yes, they were definitely a different species of vampire. Carlisle was almost envious.
"How did you know I was coming?" he had to ask. The woman who greeted him laughed cheerfully, very girl-like, her other two sisters joined her as well.
"We have a sense for when someone special will be gracing us with their company." She winked at Carlisle and then gasped. "Aye, please so rude of me! I am Selena, and these are my sisters Inez and Carmen."
"Si, mucho gusto, please, sit down and make yourself comfortable." The other two women approached and gently escorted him to a dark but cozy parlor. The walls were draped with thick tapestries and the lighting was dim, warm, and rosy. Carlisle attempted to relax, believing his stiffness and hesitancy was obvious.
"Please pardon my rudeness. I really have never done anything of this sort before." All three smiled and sat besides him. Carlisle was pleased to be around warm, hospitable women without succumbing to the urge of a thirst. Although he could smell blood and hear it bubbling through their veins, Carlisle knew that they could certainly fight back. Although they appeared flirty and delicate, they were just as strong as he. Another saving grace was their vampiric blood was not as appealing and tempting as a human's. For once in a very long time, Carlisle could just relax and enjoy the company.
He took another moment to observe the women some more. Yes, they were certainly vampires, their beauty at the same lofty levels as his cohorts, but at the same time they were definitely unique, especially in their mannerisms and appearance. Their full pillow-like lips were the centerpiece to dark, almond shaped eyes and intricately carved cheekbones. Vampire females were not usually this voluptuous, but to compliment each woman's abundant curves were limbs and legs of long, taught sinew. They seemed a little more human as well, and Carlisle liked that. For once he seemed able to have the best of both worlds.
"Shall I pour you a glass of our best reserve?" Selena offered. Carlisle looked puzzled.
"Wine?" He asked curiously and the ladies laughed.
"Well if that is what you want, we certainly have plenty. But we assumed you preferred something more…satisfying?" Selena raised an eyebrow and Carlisle was still confused. One of the other sisters, Inez, opened a cupboard to reveal what was evidently wine bottled, but the labeled made his eyes widened. He knew what "sangre" meant and he was glad that they were tightly sealed.
"Uh, oh no! Please! Um, I mean that is completely unnecessary, I, uh… fed earlier this afternoon." It was not the ladies' turn to be confused.
"Yes but you still wouldn't want a little extra treat for dessert?" Carmen asked, starting to flirt a little by caressing his jaw. Carlisle closed his eyes before looking at the wine bottles again with the "sangre" label.
"Is that….human blood?" Selena stiffened a little and looked at him awkwardly.
"Of course it is." She seemed almost insulted that anyone would assume she had anything else but. "What else would we have? You are not the first vampire client we have had Carlisle, and probably won't be the last. We have some very generous gentlemen, and sometimes ladies, and they will usually tip us with a beautiful offering that you see in that cupboard there."
"They come in handy" Inez added. "A glass definitely takes the edge off the thirst so I am not so tempted when I have a night with many human clients. And if we do have vampires to entertain it is a great item to mix in with the 'activities'." Carlisle turned to face Inez.
"You don't….feed upon your human clients?" he had to ask. Inez and the rest giggled.
"No, of course not! We want them to come back and spend more money another time, right?" Selena sat back down on the sofa.
"Of course humans like to spread rumors and it almost got out that we are what we are. One man believed it and even asked me to bite him! Do you believe that? LOL" They all laughed again. Carlisle was growing impressed with these women.
"Did you?"
"As delicious as he was I did not. While we can bite and feed from a human without killing them or sucking them completely dry, we cannot have the secret get out. Better to be safe than sorry, but you know and understand that, right Carlisle?" Carlisle smiled and gazed in admiration at the three vampire females with a warm touch and manner. He looked at them and wondered how old they were. To naked eyes they appeared to be somewhere in their early thirties, but Carlisle knew better. Selena kneeled down in front of him and stroked his face.
"I love your curiosity and dedication Carlisle. You are also so kind and such a gentleman." She sighed gazing at his face. "And you are so young and handsome, very much like a prince." Selena grew silent for a second. "Hmmmmm, yes, he will love Reyes, what do you think?" The three nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I believe he will like her a lot." Inez agreed. Carlisle looked at the ladies confused once again while Selena sprinted up the stairs.
"Reyes?" Carlisle wanted to make sure. He had heard there were only three sisters.
"Reyes is our niece. True she doesn't quite have the experience we do, but neither do you it seems." They giggled some more. "But we strongly believe it will be a perfect arrangement."
"Consider it an honor, Carlisle. We don't offer Reyes to just anybody, only clients who we believe truly deserve her. She is very special and that is why we kind of keep her our little secret." Carlisle felt overwhelmed with flattery but at the same time plagued with uncertainty. Was it right for him to have such a special arrangement?
A moment later, Reyes descended the stairs. Amazingly she looked just like her identical triplet aunts. It was evident though that Reyes was younger. She appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen, tall like her aunts, but had a softness of youth making her curves rounder and fuller, especially in her breasts, and cheeks that gave the beauty of her face an innocent look.
Reyes smiled at him. It was as warm and welcoming as her aunts and had a calming affect on him that seemed to seep down into his core. Carlisle loved observing how uniquely beautiful Reyes was, especially after being around the impeccable icy beauties of the females who served the Volturi. Reyes extended her hand to Carlisle, who took it and, again, was surprised by its warm as she guided him to the stairs to her chambers, which was on the third floor.
"So" she finally spoke when they reached her room and closed the door. Her voice was as raspy and breathy as her aunts, the pitch slightly higher evidently due to her youth. "What would you like to do Carlisle?" Carlisle looked around her room, which was just as comfortable as the parlor downstairs. The wood was in a slightly warmer tone but still decorated with rich textiles in elaborate Arabic inspired patterns. The light from her personal fireplace added to the soothing atmosphere.
Carlisle swallowed. This was difficult for him since he was brought up to be a gentleman, despite how comfortable and relaxing Reyes made the situation.
"Well, why don't you make yourself comfortable for starters?" She helped Carlisle out of his jacket while he began to undo his tie. While Carlisle continued to undress himself, Reyes, only dressed in a light white cotton nightgown, casually lifted the straps up and away from her shoulders, letting the entire thing fall to the floor. With his back turned, he was slightly started to feel her warm hands on his cold shoulder and a playful giggle. He took in a quick breath of surprise and shock when he turned around to see Reyes completely nude, her skin practically glowing pale gold in the fire light.
Carlisle had never seen a female form with the same proportion of curves as Reyes', especially around the hips and posterior. He stayed slightly frozen in awe as Reyes closed the gap of space between them. Attempting to put him more at ease, Reyes took one hand and began to stroke his torso. The other hand gently took Carlisle's wrist and placed his hand where her collarbone met her chest. Carlisle closed his eyes and gently let his fingertips flow down to her breasts. His cold skin made her nipples swell to the touch, and Reyes sighed with joy and content.
She escorted Carlisle to the bed, where she sprawled and invited him to come on top of her. Lying there looking tempting and alluring as treasure, Carlisle began planting kisses along her navel. But before Carlisle could go any further he found himself overwhelmed with emotion. He had underestimated the impact the centuries of being isolated had upon him. Next thing he knew, without thinking, Carlisle buried his face in Reyes' lap while entwining his arms around her body as much as they would allow. If he were able to do so in this form, he would have probably burst out into sobs. Surprisingly Reyes did not seem phased at all by this gesture. She did not even flinch as his cold body pressed against her warm curves. No, instead Reyes simply returned the embrace. One arm cradled around Carlisle's shoulders, the other hand softly stroked through his golden hair and traced down the back of his neck. Her rhythm seemed almost perfectly in sync with the deep sighs Carlisle was letting out uncontrollably.
"You have had quite a journey, haven't you" Reyes asked with utmost compassion and understanding in her voice. For the first time all evening Carlisle let out a small chuckle.
"Yes" he sighed. "Yes, you very well could say that." The next thing he knew, Carlisle was telling his whole story to Reyes, something he had never shared with anyone in his entire existence. Not once did she interrupt or imply that she heard enough. No, throughout the remaining hours Carlisle laid buried in Reyes' lap and she continued to stroke his hair and neck while he told his tale.
Alice jerked herself up into a straighter seated position. The glazed and distant expression returned to her face which indicated that she, once again, was having one of her visions.
"We will be having a visitor! And a very unusual one." Edward and Bella looked over at her with curiosity. It was Friday and Alice, Bella, and Edward had just gotten home from school and where hanging out in the spacious main room of the Cullen residence.
"Who will be coming Alice? Is it someone dangerous?" Edward asked with caution and concern in his voice. Alice blinked.
"Well, nothing indicated to me that there is any danger to be aware of. It is someone though who knows Carlisle." As if on cue, Carlisle walked down the stairs.
"Hey everyone! Did I hear you mention my name Alice?" But before Alice could answer a beeping and ringing came from the fax machine. It was just a simple document which appeared to be a small letter on stationary from a hotel in San Francisco, but it was addressed to Carlisle. Everyone gathered around while Carlisle read the brief note:
Hey stranger!
I'm on my way up to Vancouver from San Francisco. I heard you had set up residence in Washington and looks like I will be in the neighbor hood. I would love to see you, it has been too long old friend! Call my mobile +34 917489777
-Reyes