Days turned into weeks as Echo progressed slowly towards full recovery. Even after the influence of Celeste's magic, he had suffered with the lingering pain that the attack had caused and had struggled to walk without small whines of distress breaking free from the proud creature's throat. It had been a struggle to convince Celeste that it was safe to leave the wolf's side when he slept, reassurances from the three brothers that no further harm would befall him falling on deaf ears for the first week as she continued her monitoring of his condition. But, eventually, they had succeeded in the task and she now spent a fair portion of her time with one, if not all, of the brothers.

Not that Celeste could complain about the new arrangement of how she spent her days. She had never known a feeling quite like it in her short life. Whether she were with Marcus as they sat within his library discussing their separate books, with Aro as he taught her of his covens history or with Caius within his art studio, there was a beautiful feeling of utter safety and content, like nothing could make her happier than simply being with these three men.

But, occasionally, there were times when coven business would draw her three saviours away from her side, judgements of rogue vampires that could prove too dangerous for her to be in attendance. In those few times, she would find herself happily spending her hours with Felix as they spoke and simply enjoyed each other's company, the bond that they shared growing stronger with each day spent together.


"You know, when we first brought you to the coven, I was pretty certain hell would freeze over before you ever spoke to any of us"

"I think Satan had best stock up on his winter wear then if those were the odds you placed on my power of speech"

Felix's laughter broke through the tranquillity of the courtyard as Celeste couldn't help but smile at the giant vampire, her hands stroking through Echo's fur as the wolf slept beside her on the grass. Just like when with the brothers, Felix gave her a sense of security and happiness that she had never quite known before coming to the Volturi. He seemed to always know when she was sad or when she wanted a change of scenery, just like Aro, Marcus and Caius did. However, unlike the three kings, she knew what she was feeling towards Felix. He was like the brother she'd never had, something that she had confessed too much to the man's elation.

Sadly, the same clarity could not be found when her thoughts wondered to any of the brothers, often questioning what it would be like to 'accidently' touch her hand against their own or, in moments of much bolder thoughts, to give her first kiss to one of them and allow her heart to be swept away by the intensity of it all. Not that she would ever dare such an action. Whilst they had been nothing but king towards her, they had exhibited no outer desire or romantic feeling towards her, and the last thing she would want to do was risk shattering the blissful life she had been given by acting upon her own silly little fantasies.

"Well, however unlikely we all thought it would be, I'm glad you got your guts back and found your voice again... Question now is: Will we get to hear you sing and see the true power of the current phoenix born?"

There was a slight teasing edge to his voice, letting her know that it wasn't an issue he was going to demand a genuine answer for, but at the same time it was a genuine curiosity for the man. She leaned back, allowing her back to touch the grass as she pondered the question. Did she really feel that comfortable around either her 'brother' or her three saviours? She'd thought about the idea over the past week, wanting to show them that she did trust them but, at the same time, still holding a small part of her old fear within her mind. What if that was what they wanted and, after she had shown them her true gift, they would simply dispose of her straight afterwards? It seemed like a stupid thought to bear towards any of them, but it had happened to phoenix children before her, made to trust before being cut down for their divine blood. She sighed and gave a simple shrug as she answered.

"I don't know if I ever will. It's something that I've been hiding for years and the idea of just simply showing it off would be ridiculous... I want it to mean something when I finally let it go, I want it to be special"

Felix nodded in agreement, surprised that she had given such an honest answer but relieved that she had done so. Compared to how she had been when they had first met, the fact that she could now manage to even look him in the eyes let alone have a real conversation with him was nothing short of a miracle in his opinion. He gave a lop-sided grin as he looked over at her, about to speak again, only to be stopped as the sound of the door leading to the courtyard was thrown open and Master Caius emerged in the doorway.

"Celeste, dearest?"

She felt her heart stutter at the sight of Caius, a soft blush coming to her cheeks as her golden orbs met his ruby red ones. He had chosen not to wear his cloak today, or a jacket for that matter. The top two buttons of his dress shirt were left open and his sleeves had been rolled up his arms to reveal well sculpted muscles and the top of what promised to be an equally well toned chest. Was this what it felt like to have a crush? To feel unable to remove her eyes from the man as he smiled brightly at her? Yet she knew that it would not just be Caius that she felt this towards, something just told her the same would apply to Aro and Marcus as well if they were in the same state as well.


He could not contain his elation as he flitted through the corridors, towards where he could sense the presence of Celeste, unable to hide the smile that spread across his features as the coven members avoided his path and sent looks of confusion towards the fair haired king, uncertain to whether they should feel afraid for his sudden good mood.

He had finished it. He had completed his exquisite masterpiece that would forever capture the beauty of he and his brothers precious mate. The only way left now to clarify its perfection was to present it to the woman that it was dedicated too. If she liked it, then it would take pride of place within his study, so that he could simply marvel at it as he searched for new inspiration. If she did not like it, then he would simply start again until he achieved a level of artistry that would make the red headed woman swoon in adoration for his art.

His brothers had been left within his studio, with explicit orders not to touch anything if they wished to keep their hands, as they admired his work. Both had offered rare compliments as they studied the canvas, vaguely aware that he had vanished in favour of finding their mate to gain a more important seal of approval. In this, her opinion was the only one that mattered to him.

He stopped in his search briefly, using the mating bond to guide him towards her as he felt himself being drawn towards the courtyard. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly, she had taken a great liking to the gardens now that she was able to roam without fear of further attacks, the protection of Felix seeming to boost her courage a little higher as she gained greater confidence. His hand brushed over the door handle briefly, listening as the sound of her voice drifted to his ears and he had to suppress the shiver of pleasure the simple sound sent through him. After so long of being denied the gentle, beautifully melodic sound, he could not help but indulge in it like the purest drug to his senses.

"I don't know if I ever will. It's something that I've been hiding for years and the idea of just simply showing it off would be ridiculous... I want it to mean something when I finally let it go, I want it to be special"

He arched an eye at her words, curiosity towards what she was talking about flashing through his mind but not staying long enough for him to linger upon it. He had not heard enough of the conversation to jump to a conclusion and, in all honesty, he was more concerned about showing off his masterpiece. He wanted her to see it, wanted to see those pretty lips part in a gasp as she awed over the painted canvas, offered precious compliments for him alone.

"Celeste, dearest?"

Her eyes flew towards him as he pushed the door open, a faint blush creeping along her cheeks as her eyes scanned along his dishevelled attire, most likely not approving of the image that he must have made to her eyes. But he had been in a rush to find her and had forgotten to fix his apparel before starting his search.

"Is everything ok, Master Caius?"

Felix's voice was mingled slightly with his own concern as he looked towards his king, uncertain as to how he should react to seeing the, normally foul tempered, man grinning from ear to ear and looking like he had just done a week long stint in his studio.

"Yes, perfectly fine. I would simply like Celeste to come with me to my studio. There is something I wish to show her"

10 minutes later:

Celeste felt confused as Caius came to a sudden halt outside the door, their destination only mere seconds away. He seemed nervous all of a sudden as his hand prepared to push the door open, a gleam coming to his eyes as he turned towards her.

"Please close your eyes dearest, I would like this gift to be a surprise. I will guide you until I say you can open your eyes"

She tilted her head to the side slightly in confusion but did as he asked, the feel of his hands on her shoulders sending a jolt of joy through her heart as she heard the door being pushed open and he began to guide her through and into the room, positioning her before speaking softly into her ear.

"Open your eyes now Celeste"

As her eyes snapped open, she barely registered the smiling faces of both Aro and Marcus as Caius moved to join his brothers, her eyes locking instantly with the canvas as a small gasp f shock left her lips and she felt tears began to well within her eyes, spilling over slightly and staining her cheeks.

The painting was beautiful.


I am so sorry it took me this long to update this story :( I've been suffering from severe writers block with this but I think I've sorted it out now :) The next chapter should be up in the next week as it will be a continuation of this chapter. Also, drum roll please, we will finally hear Celeste sing :D There's also going to be a little surprise about a previous phoenix born in the next chapter, so I hope you will continue to enjoy this story and let me know what you thought of the update :)

Also, a huge thank you to everyone for reviewing and favourite/following this story so far. I never thought it would do as well as it has done and I just want to let you all know that your support is greatly appreciated :)

Thank you and happy reading guys x