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"Why is Latin so difficult?" I groaned and rubbed my forehead, I could feel a headache coming. "Is that why it's a dead language because no one is smart enough to learn it?"

"Plenty of people know it and can learn it." Killian chuckled at my distress. "Once you get the hang of it, the rest is quite simple."

"We've been at it for days, it's safe to say that Latin is just a language I'm not meant to know. I'll just stick with English since I know it so well already." I closed the book I was trying to read from and slid it across the table to him.

"Okay, first of all, we've only been practicing for two hours, not days," he slid the book back over to me. "So stop exaggerating. And secondly, it's for your baby."

"Who knew having a baby could be so problematic?" I grumbled and reopened the book, searching for the page I was reading.

"Everybody," Killian answered swiftly. I rolled my eyes at him and he just shrugged. "I'm not the one who got pregnant."

"Okay, first of all, I didn't know getting pregnant was a possibility." I defended myself. "And second, it'd make things a lot easier if I didn't have so much to stress about."

"Nobody knew it was a possibility darling, but it's happened so you need to accept it."

"I have accepted it. It's other people who haven't." I grumbled.

"Oh, I see. You're referring to your vampire." Killian nodded his head.

"He's not mine, he's just Emmett," I mumbled. "Besides, if he was around I probably wouldn't be so upset all the time. But no, he decided he wasn't ready to be a father, so here I am, like so many girls before, about to raise a baby on my own." I ranted.

"Okay, breathe in between your words." Killian chuckled. "And you're not alone, you have a family who's willing to help you and the Volturi wants to help also. You've got people on your side."

"Thanks." I sighed.

"Killian, Aro wants to see you in the Throne room." A tall brunette strolled up to us and spoke to Killian in a soft tone. Her brown eyes met mine and I gave her a small smile.

"Okay." Killian stood up and gave the girl a nod. "Arielle, can you keep Clary company until I return?" He made his way out of the library before she could reply to him and glared at him as he sent us a wave before leaving our sight.

"You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to," I told her, smiling awkwardly.

"No, I should. If I don't, he'll hunt me down." Her accented voice had me convinced that what she was saying was true. I nodded and she took a seat at the table. "What does he have you doing?" She gestured to the book.

"I'm learning Latin." More like learning to despise it but I didn't think she wanted to know that.

"Oh yes, he mentioned that." She nodded. "He also mentioned that you're the pregnant human who's been heartbroken over your vampire leaving you." Did she have to be so blunt?

"Uh, yeah. Minus the heartbroken part." I confirmed.

"No, you reek of sadness. You're still heartbroken." She clarified.

"Well, I think I'm done for today." I glared at her. I closed the book and stood up.

"What, you don't want a little company?" She was teasing me, I knew she was. I scoffed and picked up the book, holding it to my chest.

"Not if the company's going to have an attitude problem the whole time." She rose an eyebrow but I wasn't backing down.

"Well, maybe it's your hospitality that has me hostile?" She suggested with a smirk.

"My hospitality? Aren't you the one that lives here?" Her smirk dropped and she grinned at me instead.

"Touché." She nodded. "Sorry for being bitchy." I reluctantly sat back down. "We don't get a lot of human company around here, and they don't usually survive the first day."

"Yeah well, I guess I'm an exception." I shrugged.

"I think I'm going to like you." She chuckled.

"Well, I guess we'll see if the feelings are mutual." I reopened the book and flipped back to my assigned page and began to read through the words Killian taught me.

"How about a little break?" She suggested.

"Okay." I smiled happily and closed the book back up. "So what's your story then?" She rose an eyebrow and I chuckled. "I mean, I only know your name, what else is there to you?"

"My full name is Arielle Nichole Gates. My physical age is nineteen, though I was born in 1960." She'd be the same age as my Dad if she hadn't turned. "I was born and raised here in Italy, Verona to be exact."

"The home of Juliet." I smiled.

"The very one." She grinned. "My home was actually where I was turned also."

"Who turned you?"

"Aro." She said his name softly. "I remember it as if it was only yesterday."

"Well can you tell it to me?" I grinned and rested my elbows on the table, my hands cupping my face as I listened to her story.

"Verona was always a lively city. People came from all around to see the stone balcony, and my friends and I had gone to see it one night. We had always gone as kids but we decided to go one last time before I went away for school." She smiled fondly at the memory. "I was the only one who lived in the city itself, my friends lived on the outskirts. So after we said our goodbyes, I had to walk to my home alone. It wasn't a long walk, I had walked that path many times before, but that night was different."

"What made it different?" I whispered.

"It was summertime, meaning that people were still around the streets late at night, and I bumped into a few of them. Like I said before, I had walked that path dozens of times, so I knew it was safe, but I just hadn't thought of them being there, and that night changed my life forever." She adjusted herself in her seat before continuing. "Those men took advantage of me, they ruined my body and left me there hidden behind a building to die. And that's how Aro found me."

"He saved you." I gasped in awe.

"He did. He turned me and brought me here to Volterra. I lived here for a year before I went to visit my home. But when I got to Verona, there wasn't a home to visit. A neighbor told me that a group of drunken men burned down the house and everyone inside of it. There were no survivors. My parents, my little brothers, and my sister were all killed. I had nothing left so I traveled. I tried to find the part of me that was missing but I couldn't, so I returned here."

"Did you find it?"

"I did. I found it in my mate." She smiled. "He helped me, he filled that hole in my heart and he became my family."

"Who's your mate?"

"That would be me." Demetri walked up to us and took a seat beside Arielle.

"And now they're going to be all lovey-dovey and forget we exist." Felix teased them as he strolled up to us also.

"You're just jealous that you don't have a mate." Demetri teased him with a smirk.

"He's out there, I just haven't found him yet." Felix defended himself.

"I left her with Arielle and I come back to you baffoons bothering her." Killian entered the library, scowling at the sight of the guards hanging around me.

"They're not bothering me." I smiled assuringly. "I needed a break anyway."

"That's good that you think so because you have a visitor."

"I do?" He nodded and beckoned me forwards. I stood up and followed him to the throne room. "Who is it?"

"You'll see in a moment." He didn't sound too pleased with my visitor and I was starting to think of anyone who would come see me. "Here we are." He left me there, standing by the doors leading to the large room, and I frowned as I watched him walk away. I took a deep breath before nervously pushing the large doors open.

"Clarissa dear, there's someone here to see you." Aro grinned his usual creepy smile and gestured to a person standing before him. The person turned to face me and offered me a kind smile.

"Edward?"

"We need to talk."

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bridget satterlee as ariella gates
(oc credit goes to dprandall21 )