It's almost been a year since I've updated QotCr and for that I'm so, so sorry! A lot, lot of things have been going on in my life. A new relationship, trying to get back into school, classes, depression and work have all killed my ability to write. I'm trying to work on that for now, so please bear with me. I'm in no way abandoning my stories, I think about them all the time. I just never have the energy to write out what I want anymore.

Hekate walked into the lobby of the castle, spotting the human secretary tiredly sipping her coffee. That was until she saw Caius and Hekate flanked by Felix and Renata. The human quickly straightened herself, stuttering out a greeting in Italian. "Buongiorno!"

Hekate's now scarlet eyes didn't notice the coffee stained teeth, the smeared lipstick from the drink, she didn't even notice her revealing dress. All she noticed was how chaotic the woman's heartrate was. She could see her jugular vein pulsing through her skin, able to smell and hear the blood whooshing through her body. Her mouth quickly pooled with venom, aching to sink her teeth into the soft skin around that vein. "Yeah…. Good morning." She cleared her throat, stopping her breathing to avoid the smell. She quickly pushed open the doors to the private areas of the castle, rushing away from the sickenly rich smell.

She didn't start breathing again until she was at the library doors, able to hear Aro talking animatedly to Marcus. She could hear the uninterested hums that Marcus replied with, a small smile forming on her lips. She pushed open the doors herself, nearly slamming the doors against the walls with her accidental show of force. "I'm home!"

Caius rolled his eyes fondly as he moved past his lover, moving to sit on the couch. He was sulking he was losing his mate temporarily for her date with Marcus. "We were only gone for the weekend."

Marcus was the first to move, embracing Hekate tightly and breathing in her sweet scent. His nose was buried in her curls, not caring about the sunglasses on her face. "I missed you, dear."

Hekate wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him gently. "I've missed you too, Marcus." She laid her head against his, smiling contently at being held by him again. "How was your weekend?"

Marcus sighed deeply, shaking his head against hers gently. "Aro's been driving us all insane. He won't shut up about his plans for your date."

Aro scoffed as he rolled his eyes, not so patiently waiting his turn as be bounced on his heels. "I did not!"

Alec and Jane snickered behind them, both sitting at a table and playing a board game together. They shut up when Aro narrowed his eyes at them, a fatherly smile on his face when the children giggled at the look Hekate gave them. "All of you conspire against me."

Marcus moved back finally when Aro cleared his throat again, sighing deeply. "Alright, alright."

Aro grinned happily, moving forward to embrace Hekate. That was until Hekate stepped back just slightly, her posture going from relaxed to wary in a millisecond. She then panicked when she saw the hurt echo in Aro's eyes, his body language showing just how much that upset him. She held out her hand to him but wouldn't touch his hand that was frozen in air. "No, It's not like that… I'm not ashamed or wanting to hide but…"

Caius knew exactly what was going on, looking back to Felix and Renata who entered the room behind the queen. "She's just worried about what you two will think."

Marcus and Aro glanced at one another, sharing a confused and worried expression. Marcus reached out and gently touched Hekate's arm. "You can tell us anything, love. You know this."

Aro nodded softly, keeping his distance as she wanted. "Yes, cara mia. You have nothing to fear from us and you never will. What's bothering you?"

Hekate took in a deep breath as she slowly pulled off her sunglasses, closing her eyes at the last second. Panic overtook her as soon as her eyes were visible. She really wished her father were here to help deal with the panic. "I killed someone on the beach yesterday."

It was silent in the room for a few seconds before Demetri began laughing. He was chuckling deeply, bending over slightly from the force of his laughter. "Is that all? We kill hundreds of people each year, Hekate."

Aro giggled as he placed his hands together in his usual prayer position. "Cara mia, you are the Queen of the Volturi. You will kill thousands of people during your immortal life."

Marcus moved his hand down from her arm to her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "It sounds strange, but you will adjust, dear. Some deaths are necessary, and some are for the better good."

Caius said nothing, getting strange looks from his coven. He just sat there smirking smugly, one leg crossed over the other. He then began to laugh quietly when he saw everyone's amused reactions turned to shocked ones. Hekate opened her eyes, batting her eyelashes slowly as her bright red eyes were on full display now. "I didn't just kill him… I killed him by draining him dry." She dropped her sunglasses on a side table, reaching for Aro's hands. "I was just nervous about how you'd react…"

Aro looked into her crimson eyes, his mind split in half. He was more attracted to his love more than ever, her new eyes making her even more gorgeous. The throb of arousal in his pants was testament to that, but he couldn't focus on that right now. He could easily see how distressed his mate was, thinking for some strange reason that he would love her less for this. That he would see her in a different light now that she took someone's life of her own free will. He would have to have a talk with his brothers because if only Hekate knew just a fraction of what they felt for her, she'd never doubt them again.

Aro stepped forward, ignoring Hekate's outstretched hand. He gently cupped her cheeks in his hands, smiling warmly down at her. "Cara mia… I love you more than my title as king, more than my family, more than anything in this world. You can never do anything that will make me love you less or think lesser of you. You are my entire world, cara mia. On the contrary, this news is delightful!" He giggled as he pressed his lips to her forehead, pushing back the thrum of arousal when he felt how amazing her first feeding went. "I am so very proud of you, my queen. You're finally accepting the true lifestyle of a vampire, especially one befitting the Queen of the Volturi. I am so happy for you!"

Marcus saw her lips beginning to turn up a little, her concerned gaze turning to him next. Her lips were pulling down when she saw his frown, her mind jumping to conclusions before he could stop her. He quickly tucked her into his arms, her head under his chin. He kissed her hair, breathing in her familiar scent that always calmed him down. "Don't go down that dark road, dear. I am only wondering how I've failed as a mate that you would ever think I'd think like that, especially about you. You are the reason I'm alive again, as much as I can be. You're my entire world, just like Aro said. Nothing you can do will change that." He then tilted her head up when he smelled her tears falling. He smiled sadly down at her, gently wiping a few tears away. "I love you so much, Hekate… You look more beautiful than I've ever seen you and I can't wait to see how you feel now. You're going to notice how much more powerful your gifts are, how much more heightened your abilities are going to be."

Aro leaned in and giggled at Hekate again, his hands clasped together excitedly. "We're not missing your next training session."

Demetri and Felix spoke up, looking highly amused together. "We'll need to build a Hekate-proof training room now. She'll knock it to rubble in no time now."

Hekate's tears slowly faded as she laughed with her guards, leaning into the welcome chests of her mates. "Does that mean I can skip training when I destroy the training room?"

Caius laughed at how quickly Demetri and Felix's smirks turned to dark frowns, knowing Hekate was right. "You walked into that one." He moved behind Hekate, kissing her temple as he hugged her as well. "I told you not to worry so much, love. You're the center of our universe."

{X}

Hekate sighed once again as she looked up at the jet in front of her, narrowing her eyes at Marcus who was holding his hand out for her by the staircase. "Where are we going now where we need the Jet, again?"

Marcus chuckled as Hekate placed her hand in his despite her annoyance. "I'm not spoiling the surprise before we get there tomorrow."

Hekate just sighed in response, following Marcus to the bedroom in the back of the plane. She could hear Demetri talking to his partner for the trip, Heidi, up front. "I would be perfectly content curled up watching Disney movies with you again, Marcus."

Marcus smiled softly as he opened a closet, pulling out a beautiful bouquet of black and red roses for her. "I would love that as well, dear. However, you deserve to be spoiled and we're going to do just that. I also got to pick what happened during my date, as you promised."

Hekate laughed softly as she breathed in the scent of the roses, reaching out with her other hand to hold Marcus'. "You're right… It's going to take me a long time to get used to all of this, though. Thank you for the flowers, they're lovely."

Marcus kissed her temple, pulling her into a warm embrace. "You are most welcome, dear. It's a good thing you have eternity to adjust to us, just as we have eternity to spoil you and show our love."

Hekate hid her face in his shoulder, moving her flowers to the bed so they didn't get squished. "I love you so much."

Marcus sat down, smoothly moving Hekate so she was sitting sideways on his lap. He smiled softly at her, brushing her wavy hair behind her ears. "I love you, Hekate Jackson-Whitlock. I love you with my entire heart and still find room to love you more and more every single day. You are the sun and the moon of my life, the beautiful star that my world revolves around."

Hekate's new crimson eyes pooled with venom, tears quickly spilling over and falling down her cheeks. She placed her hands on his cheeks, rubbing his cheekbones as she pressed her lips against his. "Look at our bond."

Marcus could barely pay attention to the words coming from her mouth, too focused on how drunk her kisses made him. He barely pulled back, repressing a small whine as he did. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip in place of his own lips, activating his gift as he did. His small frown turned into a beautiful grin when he saw their bond. It was the brightest and most concentrated shade of red he's ever seen. "I don't know how I ever lived without you by my side, dear."

Hekate kissed the corner of his eyes where tears began to collect, smiling lovingly into his dark red eyes. "I'll tell you a secret, my king."

Marcus ignored the twinge of arousal he got from her calling him that, looking into her eyes curiously. "And what is that, my queen?"

Hekate leaned forward, whispering in his ear after kissing the shell. "I'm never leaving your side again, Marcus."

{X]

Hekate hummed as she felt the car finally come to a stop, tapping her fingers on the door. "Why do you all insist on being so secretive? It's not like it's going to ruin it for me. I haven't seen a single place in Italy so far that's been a disappointment."

Marcus chuckled as he adjusted the black silk cloth he tied around her eyes, having layered it multiple times to block her vision. "Even so, I like surprising you. It makes me so happy to see you happy."

Hekate felt the door open form under her hand, a cold hand then taking hers. She smiled when she knew it was Demetri, letting the man gently help her out of the car. "Thank you, 'metri."

Demetri moved her onto the sidewalk, smiling at how cute the queen looked. "You're welcome, your majesty." He chuckled when she smacked his arm for that, her temporary blindness not affecting her aim at all.

Heidi opened the door for Marcus, smiling as she watched Marcus quickly move to Hekate's side. "It will be worth it, your majesty."

Hekate sighed softly at that before humming when Marcus kissed her cheekbones and then lips. "It will be if you keep doing that."

Marcus let out a loud laugh at that, pulling his mate into his arms. "I love you."

Hekate squeezed him tightly, taking in the scene around her as much as she could. She could smell the sea; its scent was exceptionally strong meaning they were very close to a beach. She knew it was dark, which only aided her temporary blindness. There were quite a few people walking around still, chattering happily to each other in a mixture of languages. Her curiosity was finally getting to be too much for her, wondering just where they were. "Can I take this off now?"

Marcus squeezed her hand softly, "Just bear with it for a minute more, my dear." He then turned to the guards who were emptying the car. "Go ahead to the room and relax for a bit. Thank you both."

Hekate raised her eyebrows when Marcus began leading her across grass, feeling it tickle her feet through her sandals. She could tell they were getting closer to the ocean, the sound and smell only getting stronger. She stayed quiet until he led her onto a raised platform of some kind. Just as she was about to protest about the blindfold again, he gently pulled it loose. Her eyes instantly adjusted, her jaw dropping at the view she received. They were standing in the ruins of a tholos, or round ancient Greek temple. The temple was placed right on the cliff edge, overlooking the harbor and sea. She ran her hands over the cool stone of the temple, turning to see Marcus smiling down at her. She cupped his cheeks, leaning up to kiss him with a smile on her lips. "I love you and it's beautiful, Marcus."

Marcus gently brushed her hair behind her shoulders, humming against her lips. "I'm so glad you enjoy the view." He then turned her around, kissing her temple as he did. "But that's only half of the view."

Marcus was right, the hotel they were at was gorgeous. The seaside was full of a lush garden, sculptures, a pool and she could see a couple of outdoor seating areas. The hotel itself seemed to blend in right against the cliff, the tan color looking gorgeous even in the moonlight. The main entrance was magnificent, full of sculptures built into the gorgeous entrance gates. She could see Demetri there smiling at them, handing the keys to the car to the valet.

Hekate looked up at the king, raising both of her eyebrows at the man. "Where are we?"

Marcus took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips to kiss it. "Palermo, for tonight at least. It's the island at the very bottom of Italy."

Hekate hummed in response as she just took in the view, noticing how beautiful the full moon looked reflected in the dark water. "Well, as little as I've seen of it, I think it's beautiful, Marcus." She looked up at him and smiled when she saw how happy he looked. She could feel her frozen heart clench in her chest with how much love she felt for him. She knew deep inside that she made him happy, but it still made her want to cry when his true smile appeared because of her. He had been in pain for much too long, so she cherished every happy moment and smile she saw with Marcus.

Marcus pulled her closer, his hand on the small of her back. His other hand was gently caressing her cheek and pulling her closer. Their lips were just about to touch when Heidi walked up behind them. "I'm sorry, but your room is ready, your majesties." She looked embarrassed that she interrupted the two of them, but she knew Marcus would want to relax with his queen.

Hekate smiled at her, shaking her head. "It's okay, Heidi. Thank you." She leaned in further to kiss Marcus quickly. "Please tell me you're not going as crazy as Caius or Aro, Marcus."

Marcus chuckled heartily as he followed Heidi inside the hotel, his hand still on Hekate's back. "I can tell you that this time I haven't gone as crazy as them."

Hekate pouted visibly when she caught the 'this time' in the sentence. "Right. That just means you're going to next time."

Marcus kissed her cheek while grinning down at her. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we, dear?"

Heidi hid her laugh as she opened the door to their suite, handing the keys over to Marcus. "Demetri and I are in the suite down the hall if you need anything." She bowed her head to them before sauntering off, her heels clicking against the carpeted hall.

Hekate walked into the room, having to fight to keep her expression somewhat controlled. Marcus didn't go as all out as Caius, or as much as Aro surely will. But the suite was gorgeous. You could see that the hotel was old, the walls and ceilings were cracked along the route to the suite. The gold accents still shone, matching the grandiose theme in the room. It reminded her of how the Volturi Castle was decorated, making her feel a bit more at home. "It's gorgeous, Marcus, really."

Marcus held her hand, leading her out through one of the open terrace doors. "I'm so glad you love it, dear." He pulled her around so her back was against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking out at the harbor with her. The slight breeze tickled their hair, bringing along the scent of flowers and the sea. The full moon looked even more gorgeous from the higher vantage point, calling out to the queen. Together the two of them stood there long enough to watch the moon climbing higher in the sky, just enjoying the moment of being together.

Marcus broke the silence first, gently kissing her neck. He hid his smirk in her skin when he heard the quiet moan she tried to hide from him. "Time has been meaningless to me for eons now… However, once you entered my life, I'm finally able to cherish the passage of time with you. Even when I'm barely able to wait for your surprise tomorrow."

Hekate turned around to face him at that, playing with a strand of hair that had been blown by the breeze. "Oh really? And what could be so amazing that you, the patient king, are antsy?"

Marcus winked at her at that, silencing her questioning with a kiss. "You'll just have to patient with me, dear."

Hekate pouted at that until Marcus began kissing down to her neck, letting out a small noise despite trying to hold it in. "If we're going to be doing this the entire night, I'm fine with waiting."

Marcus laughed against her marble skin, nipping at the smooth skin over her jugular vein. "Are you certain? We could go explore the city."

Hekate's eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight at that, narrowing them at her mate. "No, we will not." She then drug him inside, laughing at the coy smile on his face. "You're not leaving this room until the sun rises."