I do not own Twilight. I only own Aurora.

Story Start

The walk to Marcus' library was nice once he started talking to me. Thankfully, he did not go into any gruesome details of the meeting that he and his brothers had earlier, but it was nice to just hear him speak to me. I would be lying if I said that my nerves were not still fried and on edge. I still felt like I couldn't breathe in this place, but if I thought about how I was unable to leave alive, I would break down. I couldn't break down right now, and hearing Marcus speak about his day was helping me focus on something besides my feelings of terror.

We entered the largest library that I had ever seen in someone's home. Ok to be fair, this whole building is huge, but I had never known anyone to have a personal library this big. Marcus gave a small smile when he saw my amazement at the library. "Do you like it?" Marcus asked after we just stood inside the library for a minute.

"It's amazing. I would love to have a library like this," I said wistfully before jumping a bit when Marcus reached down and his cold hand grabbed mine.

"You do now. Everything that is mine is yours now too," Marcus replied and gently squeezed my hand before leading me deeper into the library. He said that so honestly and heartfelt it made my heart stop for a moment. I turned my face away to focus on the bookshelves we were walking past since my face was resembling a tomato.

We walked until we reached a nice seating area in front of a fireplace, which was thankfully lit. The chairs were comfortable leather armchairs, which were warm thanks to the fire. I guess it had been lit for a while. I took a seat and smiled a little when Marcus took the seat beside me after looking at me. It was kind of cute that he was asking permission to sit down by me.

An awkward silence filled the space between us. I didn't know what to start saying to a man, well vampire, who had lived for who knows how long. part of me wanted to make the first move to find out more information about the vampire I was supposedly the mate of for the rest of my life, but at the same time I really just wanted to ask to go home. I knew that would never happen, and it hurt to realize that but there was nothing else I could do. I didn't realize I had closed down until I felt a cold hand touch my hand. I looked up and saw Marcus looking at me with a small frown.

"I'm sorry," Marcus said and his words really surprised me. "I'm sorry that you'll never be able to go home, but I will do everything in my power to make this place your home. If that's ok. I just want you to be happy," he continued softly but with so much meaning in his words. He slowly reached over and grabbed my slightly shaking hands and squeezed them in a reassuring way.

"You really do care about me, don't you?" I questioned in a soft voice.

"I do. I care more about you than you could ever know," he replied just as quietly but with so much honesty in his voice.

I sat back in the seat and just took in what he just said and his emotions. My mind was an absolute mess with everything that had been happening the last few days, but it really was nice to see how honest Marcus was being. His hands on mine were more comforting than I thought possible. Part of me at least hoped it was honesty shining in his eyes towards me.

"I," I started to whisper before shaking myself a bit. I needed to get a grip. This was going to be my life now, even though I didn't understand most of what was going on around me, I needed to be strong. "I'm not going to lie to you. I'm terrified right now, but not of you. I can tell that you really do care, and I want to give this a chance. I know that I don't have a choice about leaving here, but I would like to give whatever connection we share a chance," I told him and his ruby eyes stayed locked with mine.

"Thank you," Marcus said softly and I couldn't fight the blush if I wanted to when he gently raised my hands and kissed my knuckles.

"So what are your favorite books to read?" I asked and I really was curious. I had been an avid reader since I was a child, and now I was sitting in a room with a vampire who had read who knows how many books in his time.

A soft smile appeared on Marcus' face and he started telling me about some of his favorite books. I was surprised that we had a few classics in common, but for the most part I just enjoyed hearing him talk. He had a nice voice. I was happy when he asked me some questions about what type of books I liked as well. Overall, the time in the library was nice. I didn't think I would enjoy my time with Marcus, but he really was an interesting vampire and he was sweet. I don't even understand how he got along with Aro and Caius. They were completely different.

A yawn escaped me and Marcus immediately ended his conversation about what libraries were like a long time ago. He stood from his chair and held out his hand to me. "I apologize for keeping you up so late. I have not had to sleep for a long time. I have forgotten how necessary it is," Marcus said while I put my hand in his and he gently pulled me out of the chair. He chuckled when I accidentally stumbled into his chest and of course my face resembled a tomato.

"Sorry," I said and pulled away just a little bit but not enough for our hands to let go.