Chapter 2
Marcus smiled lovingly at his mate as she flitted around the main ballroom, instructing her guards on where to place items and hang decorations. It still amazed him how people gravitated toward her and each member blissfully worked by her side as they prepared for the celebration. Didyme held her hand out to her mate and he happily took it as he looked around the massive room.
"What do you think," she asked and he kissed her sweetly.
"I think you and Alice have outdone yourselves once again, my dear. This is beautiful, very fitting for your presence."
"I am sure Alice has already seen it in her mind, but I cannot wait for her to get here."
"I am sure she is just as excited. Oh look, here come the lovebirds," teased Marcus and Didyme playfully nudged him as Caleb and Sofi entered the ballroom. Caleb let out a low whistle.
"Going all out I see," chuckled Caleb.
"Only the best for such a celebration," said Marcus and Sofi hugged him and Didyme.
"It already looks amazing, which is why I need you to assure my mate that we should be in attendance," said Sofi. Marcus and Didyme frowned in confusion.
"Why would you not be here," questioned Didyme.
"I want to, but I know how important this is to you both and you have been so amazing to me that I don't want to mess it up by coming and causing issues. I am not exactly everyone's favorite person around here," explained Caleb and Didyme scoffed.
"Caleb that is nonsense, it will take time for everyone to adjust, but that is normal. We have adjusted to many changes over the years and most of them were much more extensive than adding a new member to the guard. You have to come. Please, for me," urged Didyme as her aura of happiness engulfed him and he smiled.
"Of course I will, if that is what the two of you want," said Caleb and Marcus gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Yes, it is what we want and I am sure that the Cullens will be happy to see you as well," assured Marcus.
"I'm not so sure about that," mumbled Caleb and Sofi kissed his cheek.
"Don't worry so much. It will be fine. We will let the two of you get back to work. Thank you," said Sofi. Marcus and Didyme smiled at them before turning their attention back to the decorations. Sofi pulled Caleb out of the ballroom and he chuckled as she smiled smugly at him.
"Alright so you were right about them wanting me there, but I still say not everyone will be as happy about it. Besides, Didyme is happy about everything."
"You are just being paranoid. This is going to be so much fun."
"Oh yea, well am I being paranoid that your brother isn't exactly in love with the idea of me hanging around, even though we have made it perfectly clear you and I are the real deal?"
"Roman just needs time. He doesn't change easily. It takes him a while to get used to new ideas."
"Is that why he won't even let me be alone with you for too long?"
"That isn't true."
"Oh really, because here comes your protector right now, totally proving my point by the way," he whispered and Sofi shook her head with a smile as Roman and Iris approached them.
"There you two are. We weren't sure if you were on the mainland or decided to stay here. Are you going to join us for breakfast," asked Roman and Caleb smirked.
"Don't we join you for breakfast every morning…..every…single….morning," grumbled Caleb. Sofi nudged him and he chuckled as he kissed her hair.
"What Caleb means is that you don't have to always track us down. You know we will be there like we always are. We just wanted to go for a walk on the beach and watch the sunrise first."
"That sounds like a great idea, we will join you," announced Roman, but Iris pinched his arm. He hissed and pouted at her as Iris winked at Sofi.
"You two go enjoy the sunrise. If we see you at breakfast, great, if not, we will meet up once Nahuel and Kaya arrive," suggested Iris. Sofi hugged her sister and kissed her cheek.
"See you later," called Sofi as she pulled Caleb toward the stairs leading to the beach. Roman rubbed his arm and glared at Iris.
"What was that for?"
"For being either oblivious or just a plain nuisance, either way a pinch was deserved."
"I don't like them being alone together."
"Yes, we can all tell, but that isn't your decision to make."
"Wait, when did you start defending Sofi and Caleb's relationship?"
"Since they have grown closer each day and he makes her happy. Roman, it has been months. You have to accept this."
"No, I don't. I am her big brother and I don't have to accept that my baby sister is with a temperamental wolf. I figured it was just a phase."
"I can admit that I was not in love with the idea at first, but you have to see the change in her. She is happy now and all you are doing is complicating that happiness by constantly trying to come between them."
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with my sister. Before he came along, we were a trio."
"Things change. He imprinted on her and while it was a shock to me, I can see that she is as happy with him as Kaya is with Seth. Accept that."
"What if I don't," he challenged as he crossed his arms in a pout and she sighed. She gave him a serious look.
"Then you will lose her, but I refuse to. I will take the blame with you for how tense things have been with our other siblings, but Sofi is our baby sister and I refuse to lose her because you cannot accept the obvious. If you continue to act this way and not give them space, she will get fed up and create the space that they need. I don't want her to feel like she can't be around us because we do not accept her mate, so you have to make a decision. Either you accept Caleb will be in our lives for good or you lose her and any type of close relationship that we all have. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to take a nice soak in the hot tub before breakfast. Nahuel and Kaya will arrive soon. I am sure they will join us for breakfast if you are on your best behavior."
"On your best behavior," he mocked and she pinched him again as he yelped.
"Stop that," he whispered and she pointed at him.
"Stop being a baby," she warned.
"Takes one to know one," he grumbled and she giggled as she walked away. Roman took in a deep breath.
"Two of my long lost siblings are coming and a wolf is joining the family, happy holidays to me," he mumbled.
The stealth jet was not only spacious, but fast as it sliced through the air at the highest possible speed. With so many devices and gadgets to entertain them, the flight almost went by too quickly, that is until they were alerted to their arrival in Sardinia and looked out the windows of the plane. The sun was beginning its ascent over the horizon, causing the crystal blue water to glisten. Sardinia was one of the most picturesque islands of Italy and the northeastern coast was full of coves, bays, and small, private islands. Alexander pointed toward a village on the coast of the mainland.
"That is Porto Rotondo. It is the closest and most popular town to the island. There is plenty to do on Isola Marcime while you are here, but if you would like to venture into a town for shopping…."
"Like me," added Alice and Alexander laughed.
"Yes, like I am sure you will Alice, Porto Rotondo is the place to do that. Also, for our human food eating friends, there will be plenty of food at the party and in your rooms, but I am told Porto Rotondo has some of the best Italian cuisine and plenty of cafes to indulge in," explained Alexander and Josh grinned.
"Z, we have to go check that place out," said Josh.
"I don't care if you are my best friend. I am not indulging in Italian cuisine for you," said Zach and Josh rolled his eyes.
"No, dude, the shopping, shopping means girls and…."
"Gorillas, he meant gorillas," corrected Zach. Everyone else had to hide their smiles as Rosalie and Leah groaned.
"We haven't even landed and they are already talking about gorillas," whined Leah. Lena smiled sympathetically at the two mothers.
"Well while your sons are off in search of…gorillas, I am sure you can find plenty to do elsewhere. Welcome to Isola Marcime," announced Lena as the jet landed in a clearing by the water.
"I know isola means island, but Marcime," questioned Josh.
"Didyme wanted the island to be completely hers and Marcus's, so she combined his name with hers," explained Alexander. The doors opened and the stairs extended to the ground for them to depart. The sun illuminated the sixty acres of island in golden streaks. December on the island was mild, only dropping to fifty degrees even with the breeze from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The white sand of the beach stood in contrast with the rich brown and red stones of the villas and mansion. Nahuel and Kaya smiled when they saw Roman and Iris waiting for them to exit the plane. Kaya was the first to hug them both and while Nahuel did not hesitate to hug Iris, he was not sure what would be the proper greeting for his brother. Roman noticed his hesitation and pulled him in for a hug.
"Welcome brother, Marcus and Didyme will be along shortly, but we are here to make sure you get settled into your rooms. Also, Iris and I wanted to know if any of you would like to join us for breakfast by the water," explained Roman and Nahuel looked at his mate. Renesmee nodded as she slipped her hand into Nahuel's and smiled at Roman.
"That sounds wonderful. It will give us all a chance to catch up," said Renesmee. Kaya glanced at Seth and he nodded as well.
"Sure, count me in. I can always eat," he chuckled.
"Great, then follow us. Alexander, Lena, I believe Nilas and Tyra need to speak with you," informed Roman. Edward eyed Lena and Alexander carefully as their thoughts began to focus too much on reciting items needed for the party. The two of them glanced at each other and quickly took their leave. Edward was about to speak up, but Alice stopped him with her thoughts.
Let it go, Edward. They are handling it. It is not our issue.
Edward gave a curt nod and followed the rest of his family toward the three villas on the southern shore of the island. Several vampires smiled and bowed to acknowledge their presence as they passed and Carlisle frowned in confusion, which made Iris laugh.
"You will have to forgive them. It seems you are a bit like celebrities in the vampire world. Many of the guards have been excited about meeting you," explained Iris.
"Yes it was quite odd at first when we arrived. A lot of them asked us what it was like to be related to members of the Cullen Coven," added Roman. If Carlisle were human, he would have blushed.
"We are simply a family," assured Carlisle.
"One of the most powerful families to grace the vampire world with their presence," assured Roman.
"Do not be surprised if you are approached in such a manner while here, but for now let's get you settled. We were not sure how you would like to split up the villas, so we decided to leave the room arrangements up to you," explained Iris and Alice clapped happily.
"Yes, thank you for that and I already have the room arrangements. The main villa has six bedrooms and is where we will celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts. Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Nahuel, Jasper, and I will each occupy a room in there. That will leave us two bedrooms, which is perfect because some nights Seth and Kaya will stay over and so will Josh when he eats so much food that he doesn't want to walk back to his bedroom across the lawn.
"Now, the villa to the west of us is for the Denali Coven, who, of course, prefers to stay together. There are four bedrooms, the perfect amount and it is immersed in the garden, which Ben and Tanya will love to escape to for quiet time. That leaves the villa to the east and right by the shore, which is what Seth wants because he wants to have a bonfire on Christmas Eve. I am sure you all know how this will play out, but that means Zach and Josh are going to want to stay close to Seth and each other. Rosalie and Leah will want to stay in the same place as the boys, so there you have it. Three villas, all perfectly arranged to fit the family dynamic. Oh and Zach and Josh are going to love the game room in their villa. Good luck getting them away from that massive theater. It is perfect for their video games," explained Alice. Josh and Zach's eyes grew wide as saucers.
"Awesome, bye," shouted Josh as he ran after Zach into the villa Alice assigned them. Roman and Iris chuckled.
"Now that the room arrangements have been figured out, how about breakfast? I am sure Sofi and Caleb will be along soon to join us," asked Roman. Nahuel, Renesmee, Kaya, and Seth followed them toward the middle of the island where the main mansion was. Carlisle kissed his mate's hand.
"It is a beautiful morning, how about we spend it on the beach," suggested Carlisle and Esme happily followed her husband to the lounge chairs right by the water. Emmett nudged Jacob.
"Come on, let's go check out that game room. Garrett, you coming," asked Emmett and Garrett gave Kate a pout. She rolled her eyes, but nodded.
"Fine, go ahead. I am just going to unpack anyways. I would like to spend some alone time with my mate some time during this vacation so don't be too long," she warned and Garrett kissed her.
"You are the best," he chuckled and jogged after Emmett and Jacob. Rosalie looked toward the villa her mate and son disappeared into, but then at the beach where her parents were sparkling in the sunlight and enjoying the warmth of the rays. Leah followed her gaze toward the beach.
"Change into our swimsuits and meet out there, so we don't have to be surrounded in a house of testosterone all day," asked Leah and Rosalie winked at her.
"My thoughts exactly," giggled Rosalie. Keegan smiled as Zafrina showed him an image in his mind of them lounging on the beach with the others.
"Actually, how about a swim," he suggested.
"Sounds fun, let me go get my swimsuit," agreed Zafrina, but Keegan's grin widened as he pulled her back to him.
"I was thinking, swimsuits optional," he whispered into her ear and Benjamin groaned.
"Too much information Keegan, but hey I guess we should all just be happy you two made it until we actually landed to be all over each other," teased Benjamin. Keegan laughed as he pulled Zafrina toward the beach.
"What can I say, I get enough of my mate. Deal with it," taunted Keegan. Benjamin pulled Tanya closer to him and kissed her neck.
"How about we go get settled," he suggested and Tanya giggled as she headed toward the villa with her mate. That made Kate groan and shudder.
"Okay, I am not going into that villa with them now," said Kate, which made Carmen and Eleazar laugh.
"Join us on the beach with Carlisle and Esme," said Carmen, but Kate shook her head.
"That's okay. I guess I will just have to go seduce Garrett until he gives me some attention," giggled Kate. Jasper chuckled when he noticed that Alice was practically bouncing in place.
"Come on little darlin' I know you want to unpack and go to Porto Rotondo for a bit of shopping," assured Jasper and Alice sighed happily.
"Oh Jazzy, you know me too well. Don't worry we can go for a hunt later. There are plenty of Sardinian deer once we are outside of Porto Rotondo. I would ask for you two to come with us but I know Edward is looking forward to having the villa to himself," said Alice as Edward nodded with a crooked grin. Bella wrapped her arms around her mate.
"I promise to go shopping with you later, Alice," assured Bella and Alice waved her off.
"Oh I know and there will be plenty of shopping to do. I just love the holidays," said Alice with a dreamy, far away gleam in her eyes. Edward kissed his mate as Jasper followed Alice toward one of the yachts by the dock.
"Come on love, it will be rare for us to have time for just us in such a beautiful setting. Let's go enjoy it," urged Edward and Bella was more than happy to spend time with her mate alone in their gorgeous villa.
Nahuel was surprised that on an island full of vampires, there was such a big spread prepared for breakfast. He sat with Renesmee, Kaya, Seth, Roman, and Iris along the cove of the island where white sand meshed with crystal blue water. They were served glasses of orange juice and platters of fruit, pancakes, various meats, and pastries to feast on. A waiter bowed to them before departing and Renesmee giggled.
"So are they always going to bow to us," questioned Renesmee and Roman nodded.
"Yes, there are strict traditions to be followed in the guard. It is about honor and respect. I really like that about it," explained Roman and Iris nodded in agreement.
"I didn't expect it to be as freeing as it is and yet there is also a sense of belonging," added Iris.
"It is nice to hear that everything is working out for you. I wasn't sure how things would play out after Caleb imprinted on Sofi, but it sounds like it was for the best," said Nahuel, but Roman's expression conveyed his dismay.
"I said we like being in the guard, not that the wolf imprinted on my baby sister."
"Roman," warned Iris as Seth glared at him.
"What is wrong with the wolf imprinting? It happens all the time," said Seth.
"Not to my baby sister," said Roman before taking a sip of his orange juice.
"Then what do you call Kaya," challenged Seth as Kaya looked down. Roman sighed.
"I am sorry Kaya. I am still getting used to having another sister and a brother for that matter. We are still becoming acquainted," explained Roman. Kaya did not respond and Seth placed his arm around her to comfort her as he continued to glare at Roman. Renesmee cleared her throat.
"How about we get started on this amazing breakfast," suggested Renesmee to try to ease the tension. They all began to eat in silence until Sofi and Caleb pulled up two chairs with bright smiles. Sofi hugged Nahuel, Kaya, Seth, and Renesmee.
"I am so glad you are finally here," said Sofi as she snuggled into Caleb's side and Roman immediately took notice.
"So good of you two to join us, how was the sunrise," questioned Roman.
"It was so beautiful," said Sofi and Caleb kissed her hand as he gazed into her eyes.
"Definitely beautiful," agreed Caleb, which made Sofi giggle. Roman rolled his eyes. Kaya eyed the couple as well.
"So Caleb, has everything been going alright? Is it easier to stay in control now that you are not in La Push," asked Kaya.
"Kaya," warned Seth and she shrugged.
"It is an honest question," she defended and Roman nodded.
"It most certainly is," agreed Roman. Caleb smirked.
"Well, if I ever was out of control, I am sure Roman would be the first to know. He watches me like a hawk."
"Caleb," warned Sofi.
"No it is okay Sofi. It seems Caleb has a problem with how close and protective I am of my family. I wouldn't expect him to know anything about that."
"Roman," warned Iris and Renesmee groaned as she heard Caleb's heart pick up in pace.
"What is that supposed to mean," challenged Caleb and Roman shrugged nonchalantly.
"Your mother lives in Seattle, your father was never around, and you never did get to connect with the rest of your family. Why would you understand how a close family works," said Roman as Caleb smirked.
"Oh yea, I have seen how your family works. Last time you two were together you were taking a swing at Nahuel," quipped Caleb.
"I knew my name would be brought up in this," groaned Nahuel.
"At least their fight was an even one," grumbled Kaya and Seth sighed.
"I had a feeling that would be brought up as well," added Seth and Roman smiled slyly.
"Yes Caleb, at least I faced my problems man to man, no need to send a whole pack of mutts to handle my business," spat Roman and Caleb pushed his chair away from the table to stand up. Sofi placed her hands on his chest to calm him down. Roman stayed seated and sat back in his chair to glower right back at Caleb. Iris shook her head in defeat, but it was Sofi that spoke up.
"Alright, that is it! Everyone at this table needs to get their issues out in the open right now because I refuse to spend the entire holiday worrying about this. Roman, I am with Caleb. He loves me and I love him. At some point, you are going to have to deal with that. Kaya, I know you are still upset with Caleb for what he did to Seth. It was wrong. He knows that, but it is in the past and he is a different person now. All we can do is move forward, all of us, as a family. That is what I want, but the question is if the rest of you want it too," yelled Sofi. Renesmee smiled sympathetically at her.
"She is right. Look, I understand how complicated family dynamics can get, so does Seth, but the reason our family works is because everyone wants it to work. It is time for the past to be left in the past. Can everyone move on," asked Renesmee and Kaya crossed her arms.
"That is easy for you to say, Renesmee. He didn't almost kill your mate," defended Kaya and Caleb sat back down as he slowly nodded.
"She is right and Seth, I never apologized the way that I should have for that. I was so angry back then, angrier than I ever thought possible. I never even thought I would be capable of doing something like that and I justified it in my mind, but it was never right. I truly am sorry and I am glad that you are okay," said Caleb as he held his hand out to Seth. Seth shook it with a smile.
"Apology accepted, right Kaya," asked Seth and Kaya slowly nodded.
"Yes, I suppose if my mate can forgive you, so can I. Apology accepted," she begrudgingly agreed. Sofi looked over at Roman and he sighed.
"Fine, I am sorry too. Caleb, it is hard for me to see you with my sister, but that is my issue, not yours. I apologize for making things tense. I just need to take a walk," said Roman and Iris looked on in concern as he headed down the beach. She was about to go console her brother, but Nahuel stopped her with a comforting smile.
"I'll go talk to him. I think I know where he is coming from on this one," assured Nahuel as he glanced at Kaya. Kaya winked at him and Nahuel headed down the beach. Caleb chuckled as he watched Seth devour another pancake and the others laughed as well.
"Are the pancakes good Seth," teased Caleb and Seth shrugged.
"Look, you all can argue all you want, but I rather be eating. These pancakes are delicious," said Seth between bites. Renesmee filled her plate with pancakes and bacon.
"He is right. Why spend all this time arguing when we could be eating? We are basking in the sunlight on a secluded island in Italy, let's eat," said Renesmee and Iris giggled.
"Cheers to that," she agreed before filling her plate to enjoy the beautiful breakfast and view in front of them.
Nahuel sat down in the sand by Roman and sighed as he looked over at his little brother. Roman refused to look at him and Nahuel chuckled.
"I know I am supposed to make you feel better, but I don't envy you," confessed Nahuel and Roman frowned at him in confusion.
"Is this your idea of a pep talk? You really need to work on it."
"No, it is the truth. Like I said before, when Kaya and Seth got together, I wasn't exactly ecstatic about the idea. It all happens so fast with imprinting. One moment my baby sister was coming to visit me, the next she is asking to stay because of Seth, but at least I liked and respected Seth. I get it Roman. Caleb doesn't have the best history with our family. That is why Kaya is so upset, but he imprinted on Sofi."
"It just isn't right. They don't belong together. Out of all the beings I braced myself for her to end up with, a wolf was never one. I always figured it would be a vampire, but was okay with it being a human. Of course I thought it would be best if she found a hybrid, someone that could understand what it is like to be one of us, but a wolf?"
"When it was Kaya, I had to really think about what bothered me about it and I realized it was just me being overprotective. I trust Seth and I did back then. I know it may not be that easy for you, so what is it that you are concerned about?"
"He is a wolf. They lose control."
"Has he lost control since he has been with Sofi?"
"No," confessed Roman as he looked down.
"Which is saying a lot because he could have snapped back there at the table, but he didn't, he got angry, he even stood up, but he never phased, so maybe that should tell you something. He was ready to phase, but what stopped him?" Roman sighed in defeat as he thought about Caleb's reaction.
"Sofi calmed him down."
"Right and she wasn't scared of him, not for a second. Kaya has never once been scared of Seth because she knows he loves her. Sofi knows the same thing and as far as her being with someone that can understand her, well Caleb understands what it is like to be an outsider, to feel lost, like you don't belong anywhere. I think you two may have more in common than you realize. The kid has screwed up, but all he ever wanted was to find out who he truly was."
"Like me, right," grumbled Roman and Nahuel chuckled.
"You said it, not me."
"Yea, yea, I guess you are right and I have been keeping a close eye on him lately."
"They are in love and it is all very new to them. They need their space, so how about this? You and I will go back, get some breakfast, and afterward, we will go snorkeling with Renesmee, Iris, Kaya, and Seth. That will give us some time to get to know one another and give Sofi and Caleb some time to actually act like mates," suggested Nahuel. Roman slowly nodded.
"You are pretty good at this big brother stuff," conceded Roman and Nahuel ruffled his hair.
"Oh just you wait until I start teasing you," cooed Nahuel. Roman dodged his hand and laughed as they stood up.
"Teasing I can deal with, as long as you don't pinch. Iris pinches and it hurts."
"Our baby sisters definitely have a mean streak, but don't tell them I said that."
"Nope too late, already telling, hey Iris, guess what Nahuel said about you," called Roman as he darted down the beach.
"Tattle tale," shouted Nahuel with a smile as he realized it was the first time Roman was truly acting like his little brother. It was progress.
