Caius's POV

He sighed tiredly into the blonde hair of his wife. It had been a long week filled with unexpected twists that tested his patience. Athenodora hummed softly, tracing a pattern up and down his back causing him to purr. The only moment of peace he had was with her and she knew exactly how to distract him from his worries.

"Tell me what bothers you, love."

He stopped purring abruptly. He didn't want to burden her with his problems and he didn't wish to think of them either. He nuzzled his head into the nook of her neck, languidly kissing and biting while Athenodora moaned softly, her nails digging into his back. His hands roamed over her body, eliciting all kinds of satisfying sounds from her when she suddenly slapped her hand lightly against his shoulder. He stopped, finally looking up to see her scowl.

"Don't try to distract me." She pouted, her gaze softening as Caius groaned and laid his head against her bare chest, pulling her closer to him. Their naked bodies were intertwined beneath the sheets and they relished in the embrace like only true mates could.

"Forgive me, amore." He whispered softly. "There have been many worrying events recently. The Irish covens are at war over petty territory disputes, the southern wars in America are becoming noticeable once again, I've lost track of one of the last damned Children of the Moon-" He stopped short, growling fiercely as Athenodora soothed him, tilting his head up and kissing him fully on the lips before kissing the scar than started at his right cheek and went down to his throat.

The vile creatures had almost caused him to meet his final death and his body was littered with gruesome scars which told the tale of survival. Because of this, he had hunted their kind to almost extinction and he was furious he had let one slip by so foolishly. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of his wife to calm himself as she threaded her fingers through his hair and then, continued.

"Also, Aro has finally found his mate." He said, changing the tone of the conversation.

"Really? Oh, Caius! I must meet her at once!" She squealed and he tightened his arms around her.

"She is still a newborn, Dora. A strange one at that but still only 7 days old."

"How is she strange? Do tell me. I've been dying to hear what all the commotion was about! I overheard guards whispering about a new member of the coven but they quiet down when the see me!" She huffed loudly, making Caius narrow his eyes in suspicion. He would have to find out what information was being hidden from his wife.

"She is disturbingly tame and her behavior contradicts he very nature. But, she is immune to Jane and Aro's gifts and, has shown great control even among humans. She may be gifted as well."

He couldn't help but making it sound that he was a tad impressed. Even so, she might express typical newborn behavior at any moment and for that, he had to be ready. Just then, there was rapid urgent knocking at their door. He growled loudly. Who would dare disturb him in his own quarters? Athenodora sighed but let him go and he was dressed in the blink of an eye. He stopped to admire her body as she draped herself quite seductively against the sheets. He felt need stir deep within him when she placed a hand on her head in mock distress and looked at him with hooded eyes.

"Go, my king." She purred with a sultry undertone. "I'll be waiting."

He could almost feel his eyes blacken with desire. The thought of her lying in his bed waiting for him to claim her was incentive enough to be done with whatever matter had come up quickly. He bent down to kiss her passionately and then pulled away just enough to breathe out a few words.

"I will be back."

He exited to the main area and flashed to the the doors, for once resenting his duties.

"What?" He hissed as he opened them, glaring down at a very frightened and panicked Alec. His eyebrows knit together at the sight. The boy knew better than to come to him unless there was an emergency. Alec bowed lowly.

"Master! Forgive me for bothering you. I-It's Isabella. She-"

Caius was running before the boy could even finish, following the trail of his scent. He assumed the worst. The girl had finally snapped. His thoughts raced ahead at the damage control and future measures of security but he realized he didn't know yet of the full situation.

"What happened?"

"It was Demetri, Master." Alec replied, following the blonde vampire closely. "He and Felix had been pestering Isabella fully knowing that she was a newborn. They found her amusing and were trying to anger her. Demetri had followed her to the garden where he finally got her to react. Everything was starting to escalate when he told her there were certain speculations about her and Master Aro. I came as fast as I could."

"What speculations?" Caius growled, raising an eyebrow. What in hell was going on in this castle? How had he not heard of this before and more importantly, how had Aro not heard of this? The sly bastard always knew what was going on whether it be by asking directly for your hand or by brushing his fingertips against you 'accidentally' while walking through the halls.

Alec stuttered slightly but he didn't need to speak for they were close enough to hear feminine growls and talking.

"Many think that it is too soon but others… Well, some think that you will never get a rank because you seem to be Master Aro's..." Demetri hesitated just as Alec had. Caius tilted his head, concentrating on his words and pushing himself faster.

"His what?" Bella growled. He heard Demetri sigh in resignation.

"His cortigiana."

Caius hissed in outrage. Is that what they thought of Aro's mate? That she was no more than his whore? The nerve! He started seeing red at the thought of anyone daring to speak such assumptions out loud. Even an imbecile could see that they were mates.

"Enough!"

He came into view of many cloaked figures staring at him with wide eyes before they cast them down and parted to let him through. He clenched his jaw, willing to his arms to stay at his side as he imagined the Guard spewing hate at his wife just as they did to Aro's mate. He was livid, glaring at Demetri and looking at very confused Isabella.

"What is the meaning of this?"

No one answered him and he became more enraged. He breathed in through his nose, nostrils flaring. He would need to inform Aro of this insolence but not before safeguarding Isabella.

"We shall address this later." Caius hissed, turning towards the brunette. "You. Come with me. The rest, get out of my sights before I make you the subject of my ire."

Everyone wisely fled, not wishing to face his wrath and he then started in the direction of Aro's study before he remembered that his brother was currently preoccupied with the leader of one of the Irish covens. He clenched his teeth, redirecting his path and storming towards Marcus's study. He needed to speak to with him urgently about the situation brewing right beneath their noses.

Why hadn't Aro addressed the Guard adequately? Why hadn't he presented Isabella as his mate yet? All of this could have been avoided had his brother done so. He pushed the doors with too much force, tearing them off their hinges and he spared them a momentary glance. He would have to replace those. Again. He growled lowly, pacing from side to side.

"Caius." Marcus greeted calmly, clearly used to his outbursts of anger. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Marcus finally looked up with an eyebrow raised before he noticed the murder in his eyes as he paced and the girl who standing with her head bowed.

"Ah, Isabella. I hadn't noticed you standing there. Please, sit."

She quickly flitted towards the gestured furniture while Caius stopped in his tracks, trying not to wear a hole in the rug. He couldn't think straight.

"The Guard has been spewing unpleasant things as of late." He hissed in their native tongue.

"Of what sort?" Marcus replied in the same language, eyeing Isabella carefully and laying the quill on his desk.

"Aro's lack of action has caused a small misunderstanding of Isabella's place in this coven." He bit out, now feeling anger at Aro. "They assume her to be his newest sexual endeavor, his whore to be exact, and some members have taken upon themselves to harass her."

Marcus's eyes flashed as he took in the girl who was observing her surroundings with interest. Caius breathed in to calm himself as he looked as well. The fury he had felt was ebbing away as he observed her, truly observed her. She looked strikingly similar to Didyme when you really looked at her. Was that why he had felt such fury before? Had he started to think of her as his sister already?

"I'm surprised that you feel so strongly about this, Caius." Marcus said, pausing and looking faraway before a small half smile graced his lips. "Your bonds to Isabella have become familial in nature."

"Nevermind that." Caius set his jaw and looked away, not willing to say that this event had pushed him to accept Isabella as his sister when he had been so wary before. "We must address this matter immediately."

"Yes." Marcus replied solemnly.

Marcus was probably thinking the same as him. That fateful day when they feared for their immortal lives, when they had permitted rumors about their family to be whispered in this castle, foolishly dismissing them. They were confident that their guards were loyal and feared them too much and thus, their words were inconsequential. How wrong they had been. They lost so much that night. Marcus walked over to Isabella who was observing Didyme's portrait with undivided attention. He laid a hand on her shoulder, his eyes full of sorrow.

"That is my Didyme. She was my mate and Aro's sister."

He went to uncover the portrait and Caius had to control himself from showing emotion at the sight of Marcus looking so defeated. He sat across from Isabella, thinking back at the past millennia when Marcus had been suicidal. Caius worried for him but he showed a bit of progress when Aro's mate had joined them. He had started moving away from his apathetic ways.

"What happened?" She asked softly.

"She was murdered." Caius replied with a steely tone, after watching his brother crumble right before his eyes. "To this day, we do not know exactly what happened as it was during a siege of the castle but it has caused many things to change. Especially when dealing with our family and mates."

He gripped the armrests of his chair, his anger returning as her remembered what had happened earlier. Marcus sighed and then proceeded to sit beside Isabella.

"We do no take lightly any offense towards one of us, dear child." Marcus said solemnly. "Even if it seems insignificant, something small can quickly grow and spread like wild fire, turning into something worse."

"That is why neither of us nor my mate, Athenodora, take disrespect from anyone beneath us." Caius interjected, eyeing her meaningfully. "You should not either. You can and should act upon the vicious rumors surrounding your person. Say the word and we can arrange a suitable punishment."

"I don't understand." She said, putting her head in her hands. "I haven't been ranked yet. Does that mean that I am ranked higher than then rest of the Guard? And what are people saying anyway?"

The kings stared at her and then looked at each other. Did she truly still believe that she would be a member of the Guard? That would't be possible unless… Had Aro not cemented their mating ties? Caius thought back to earlier, when he had been standing closer to her. Her scent had been her own, when mated couples had a mix of both of their scents. She looked up and he took the opportunity to look for mating bites and found none.

"Aro has not told you yet, has he?" Marcus breathed.

Caius scoffed in disbelief at her confused expression, glaring at a spot in the wall. This was unbelievable. How could Aro be so reckless? How had he not claimed her or try to woe her like Marcus had urged? Had they been like him and Dora, they would've been locked up for days making love. He heard Marcus sigh.

"Let us retrieve my brother then, shall we? Then we can start from the beginning."

Caius narrowed his eyes. Aro would have a lot to answer for and he would face his wrath. Had it not been for his inaction, he would still be in the arms of his mate and he would've been none the wiser.

Author's note: I love Caius. I love that he is perpetually angry and annoyed but is fiercely loyal to his coven. He is so fun to write and besides, he brings up a good point. What the hell is Aro thinking and why hasn't he told Bella they're mates? All will be explained soon, I promise.