While Renata said nothing to me as I left Aro's quarters, I knew she was following closely behind. I chose not to engage in conversation, and made my way to the elevator, taking it up to the third floor of the building. With vampire quickness, Renata was following me again the second I stepped out. By the time I made it to the small library down the corridor and pushed aside the bookshelf allowing me entrance to the hidden stairs behind it, Renata had made an appearance by my side in full view. Wanting to be left alone, I asked if she minded waiting there.

She was not fond of the decision, but she did so without too much argument. As I went up the stairs, I noticed the two sets of doors again. I had been up here a few times since the day Aro had told me about his wife and about keeping her and Caius's wife in the tower for their own safety, much like he should be doing with me, but I had never made the attempt of opening the door to the right. I stuck to the left where it would take me out onto a small part of the tower where the bells hung.

The bells were no longer in use, and instead rang from the Praetorian Palace which was probably for the best as decorative glass had been placed around the tower in a way to keep the vampires which visited on occasion from reflecting too much sunlight to the crowds below. Aro also had painted murals around the tower at some point in the many years since he and Caius decided to lock their wives away. The first time I saw them, I was slightly stunned with artistic ability. Then again, he had had millenia to practice.

I gazed at the door to my right, thinking seriously about it now that Aro had brought Sulpicia's desires to my attention again, but for now, I decided against knocking. Besides, Renata might kill me if I met two new vampires without her being present, though Aro assured me numerous times that the females inside had complete control of their thirst, and I would not be in any danger. Maybe before I went back downstairs, if I really felt up to it.

Opening the door on the left, I stepped out into the warm breeze of the summer air. The sun was out today, and the feel of it on my skin where not long before had been icy coolness, which one felt underground in a building without lower level renovations such as a heating system, was wonderful. I soaked it in for a minute before focusing on my task which was navigating my way out of the city.

First things first, I needed to contact Emilio. There was no way I would manage to get my phone out from Aro's desk. If I could sneak away during a time he was meeting with this coven from Peru, there was a good chance, I could make it to my grandparent's house and use the phone from there, if it wasn't already disconnected. On the off chance that it was, though I highly doubted that had been done as Aro was still taking care of the bills that came in since he had never gotten around to "selling it back to the city".

I would call him and tell him that I needed him to meet me and that it was an emergency. There was enough money hidden in a secret spot at the house that should be enough to hail a taxi to drive me to Maltraverso where I could meet with Emilio halfway. Then he could make sure I got to Florence where I could jump on a plane to the furthest place away from Volterra. As much as I just wanted to go home to Dallas, where my family had moved to a few years before for my dad's job, I knew that would not be feasible. It would be the first place Aro would have Demetri look when he returned from Bulgaria. South America, Argentina, would be a good spot. The vampires from Peru were coming to Volterra, so there was no need to worry about travel to that continent.

However, I knew that there would always be a risk involved due to Demetri's ability. It was impossible to completely hide from him, and I wondered how long it would take for him to find me. Renata's gift was a powerful one, but Demetri said it could only block physical attacks, nothing mental. What I needed was someone who could shield mental based abilities such as Demetri's, but if there was one to exist, I certainly did not know of them, and there was no way I could go straight up to Aro and ask without him wondering why I wanted to know.

It was a risk I was willing to take, even for a few short days of freedom. I would give a lot for that. Aro wasn't giving me any other choice. He controlled my communication with my parents, he had refused to let me text Emilio or call him after that first time he allowed me to. Whether he believed it to be different or not, even if I wasn't exactly locked up in some tower room like Sulpicia, his definition of a prisoner and mine were very different, and under my definition, I certainly would be categorized as one.

I thought about Sulpicia again, and as I turned around and closed the bell tower door, I took another glance at the second door on the landing. I thought about calling for Renata, but instead, before I could really stop myself or thought it through too much, I knocked. Time seemed to stand still around me for me a moment until the door finally opened and Corin peered out with a smile on her face when she saw me.

"I'm so glad you finally came. Come on in," she said to me, a little more cheerfully than I remembered her being the first time we ever met. "Sulpicia has been so eager to meet you, but since you never came, she thought perhaps you did not wish to meet her given her relation to Aro."

I bit my lip. "You mean the fact that they're married? Aro explained it to me. I was more worried that she might hate me."

Corin just laughed. "Then you're in for a surprise." We paused outside of another door. It appeared that these tower rooms were wrapped around a large, circular hall. Caius's wife and Sulpicia must have had rooms of their own.

The vampire next to me went to knock on the door, but I stopped her. "I'm sure she already knows I'm here. Still human after all. Do you think it's okay if we speak alone? Besides, Renata is downstairs, and I'm certain she must be fretting as usual."

"Of course. I will see to Renata, then. Don't be nervous. I wouldn't leave you if I thought any differently, and Aro wouldn't have allowed you to come."

"I know. Thanks, Corin."

Once Corin had disappeared out to the stairwell, I gave a swift, one time knock to the door in front of me and said, "Do you mind if I come in? It's Lia."

The door almost instantly opened and standing in front of me was a purely beautiful vampire with long, messy, dark tresses, full lips, and bright red eyes shining with what could only be described as dancing stars. It was no wonder to me why Aro had chosen her as his wife, but it did make me question how in the world he could be more attracted to me. Then again, strangely enough, there was a resemblance between the two of us that I could not place.

"Lia! Yes, do come in, please," Sulpicia said gleefully before stepping aside.

I walked into the room, and I was surprised at how nice it was. It appeared larger on the inside than it did from the outside, and the walls were adorned with art. A small piano sat near the door and a cello next to it. I was surprised slightly to see the bed in the room considering vampires not sleeping, but it wasn't difficult to figure out why it might be there. They were married after all.

Sulpicia sat down on the stool at her antique vanity and motioned for me to take a seat wherever. I chose the chair nearest the door, plush, soft, and very red. "I have dreadfully been hoping to meet you. I was quite worried that you would be disturbed when my husband told you about me. Was I correct in assuming so? It is understandable if you feel such a way."

Blinking, somewhat surprised at her candidness, I replied, "I wouldn't say disturbed but concerned that you might be disturbed or upset about me."

Her kind smile instantly helped me relax, and I knew that it was true she held no animosity toward me. "On the contrary, I am delighted that my husband has reunited with his true mate. I do love him dearly. He has been my whole world for over three thousand years, but I would not deny him this happiness and joy."

I swallowed. They had been together almost the entire time Aro had been a vampire, and somehow she was fine with someone stealing her husband from her, albeit unintentionally and not by choice. "How did you two meet?"

"Aro found me. I was still young at the time, though old enough to marry off had I had any family. They had died some time before." Sulpicia paused. "I have no recollection of them at all anymore." Before continuing she sighed then smiled again.

"Aro had been walking along the streets. Vampires were known then yet feared, and people made way for him as he passed. I did not see him in time and bumped into him as I turned around." She laughed. "It was not until later that I found out he had allowed me to bump into him on purpose. After that, we got to know each other and he began courting me. It was impossible not to fall in love with him. As one with no family, orphans did not often last long on their own. More commonly they were taken off the streets and sold. He saved me from that the moment he marked me as his.

"Eventually, he asked me to marry him, but the one condition was that I would have to agree to become a vampire like him. A human vampire relationship would not be possible or feasible. It was too dangerous to try. At first, I refused the idea and his proposal, even running away out of fear, but over time, and with some guidance from Aro's sister, I allowed him to change me. We made our mating official not long after."

Sulpicia was not ceasing to amaze me. "You refused him?"

"I did," she answered with a heavy grin. "I understand now why Aro chose me to be his wife after the stories he has told me about you. He knew what he wanted and what his mate would be like, and he found many of those qualities in me, but I was not the one. You are."

"What if I don't want to be?" I whispered. "Maybe you can tell him to loosen up a bit."

"He's troubled that you might try to run away. He lost you once, and I don't think he could bear to lose you again, not after how long he's waited. He is patient, but it is not the best to test that patience."

I glanced over at Sulpicia as she talked. If anyone knew Aro in this building, it would be her. She continued speaking, and what she said left me with the slightest uplift of a smile on my face. "I hope to be to you what Didyme was to me, a confidant and a friend. I will do what I can to ease your thoughts about the transition, but ultimately, it is up to you to decide and to listen to what you know to be your truth."

"Thanks, but I'd rather ignore at the moment what my truth seems to be."

"That is your choice, but know this, you are not only hurting Aro by feigning ignorance. You will eventually destroy yourself in that battle." Sulpicia stood suddenly and looked over to the door. "I forgot that I was meant to visit with Athenodora. Would you care to join us? She would be as delighted as I to have you visit."

"Athenodora? That's Caius's wife, isn't it?" I asked, trying not to cringe.

"Yes! I do believe you would enjoy her company."

"Is she anything like Caius?"

Sulpicia chuckled. "Quite the opposite. They make a curious couple, but unlike Aro choosing me, Caius and Athenodora are true mates."

I nodded. "Good to know. Perhaps next time. I should probably take off. I've been gone long enough for Aro to send Demetri after me at this point."

With a knowing look, Sulpicia walked with me to the door, and we stepped outside of it together. As we parted ways, me to go out the main door back to the tower stair landing and she to visit Athenodora, she gave me a short kiss on my forehead and told me to come visit her again soon. When I made it back to the small library where the entrance to the tower was located, Renata stood there waiting eagerly to know what happened.

Not in the mood to discuss it at that current moment, I asked her to take me back to Aro's quarters. He would want to know that I at least met with Sulpicia and seemingly liked her. She was different than what I had expected, but different in the fact that Sulpicia was very much just like me and had also refused the man who was quite easily one of the most powerful vampires in the world.

A/N: I would say y'all were spoiled, but it has been a while since I regularly updated. Happy Valentine's Day! You've gotten two chapters in a row.