A/N: Cameron meets a new vampire, goes shopping, and discovers the secret everyone's keeping from her.

I close the front door behind me as silently as possible. Carefully, I get out of my shoes, tiptoeing my way to the fridge on my socks. If I was quiet enough, I'd be able to grab something to eat before he noticed I was home. I open the fridge slowly, only to notice how it was empty once again, save for cans of beer. Then, the smell of alcohol hits me, and I know I'm caught.

"Did you really think you could sneak around this house without me noticing?" he asks, a dark edge to his voice. Slowly, I turn around to face him, trying not to provoke him.

"No Father, not at all. I was just looking for something to eat." I lie, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

SMACK!

My head flips to the side as a stinging, familiar burn spreads across my cheek. Tears spring into my eyes.

"You ungrateful, useless bitch! You are nothing without me, nothing! You're an ungrateful excuse for a daughter, you will pay me respect!"

I can only try to relax my body as he begins his attack on me, hoping that that will lessen the pain. It doesn't take long for me to black out.

I wake up with my heart in my throat, tears streaming down my face. This time, I already know better than to call out for Stefan or Vladimir, but it hurt nonetheless.

"Felix?" I ask softly, my throat a little hoarse. When he doesn't enter my room, I'm confused.

I wipe away the tears with my sheets, and get out of bed, feeling drained. This is exactly why I didn't sleep, it only left me feeling more drained when I woke up. I enter the bathroom and splash some water from the sink into my face, trying to make the red streaks from crying disappear. When I realize it's no use, I make my way to the closet. I grab a soft, black long sleeve shirt, and put a light blue oversized sweater on top of it. Then, I grab a pair of equally blue sweatpants, putting those on. Monochromatic it was today. I put on a pair of soft Uggs (don't kill me for the fashion choice, they were just very comfy) and tie my hair up into a loose bun.

Then, I decide to go search for Felix. When I open my bedroom door, he isn't there. This was weird. I make my way down to Marcus' library, but I find complete silence there, no sight of any vampire. Where could they be?

Oh, the throne room! I quickly begin to make my way there, noticing how eerily quiet the castle was. Where was everyone? I round a corner, and freeze up when I see an unfamiliar vampire standing at the end of the hallway. His red eyes land upon me, and in a second, he appears right in front of me. He looks hungry. Crap!

"Well, well, look what we have here. Are you lost, little snack?" He asks with a heavy accent.

"I-I'm not lost, I live here. And I'm not a snack." I protest, but he chuckles when I stutter, revealing that I'm actually scared.

"A human, living in the Volturi castle? Do you think me a fool?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at me. He has short, platinum blonde hair, and very pale skin. He's two heads taller than me, and I'm slowly becoming more and more aware of the danger I'm in, noticing he isn't wearing a Volturi cloak.

"I-I don't, trust me-

"Shht. Any last words, before you become my snack?" He interrupts, his hand grabbing my chin roughly. He grins, flashing his sharp fangs. Oh God, I'm definitely going to die.

"I'm not a snack, you asshole!" I shout, and then I kick him as hard as I can, right in his junk.

"CAIUS!" I scream as loud as I can, instinctively, before running away from the vampire, who is now on his knees on the ground, groaning in pain. Apparently, kicking a guy in his junk worked on vampires too.

"You're dead, little girl." He growls, and the next thing I know I'm falling to the floor, a heavy weight on top of me. My head hits the floor, hard, and I see black spots for a moment, until my sight clears, the vampire on top of me. He bares his fangs once more, and I close my eyes. This is how I die.

Instead of the inevitable pain, I hear a loud crash and wind gushing around me. When I open my eyes, all I can see is Caius, punching the vampire straight through a wall. He roars like a madman, and pounces on the guy again, his fists reigning down.

"Ophelia!" Marcus exclaims, appearing beside me. He helps me sit up, and when his worried red eyes meet mine, I begin to sob, relief filling me. He pulls me into his arms and speeds off, the sound of Caius hurting the other vampire echoing in my ears. When we stop, I'm in a room I don't recognize. Marcus sits down with me on the bed, dark red sheets covering it, still refusing to let go of me. I don't complain, and remain in his arms, holding him tightly in return.

"Are you alright, darling?" He whispers against my hair, and I nod. He sighs in relief.

"Is she okay?!" Caius barges into the room, blood all over his face and clothes. His eyes are wide, before they settle on me. He storms over to me and takes me from Marcus, puts me down on my feet and checks me all over. Then, he startles me by pulling me into a tight, almost painful hug.

"You saved me." I whisper against his chest, feeling the blood stain my cheek.

"You're safe." He brings out, sounding relieved. His arms tighten even more around me, making me gasp for air.

"Ophelia! Are you okay?" Aro bursts into the room himself, eyes searching for me with a worried look. Caius keeps his hold on me however, although he loosens it a bit so I can breathe, but when Aro extends his hand, silently begging for me to take it, I do so without hesitation. I can tell he needs to relive my memories to make sure I was indeed alright.

"Thank the gods you're alright." He breathes out as he lets go of me, calming down a little.

"I-I'm so sorry, I was just looking for Felix, he wasn't at my door." I bring out, lifting my head to look at all three of them.

"We were feeding, I'm so sorry love. We didn't realize a rogue vampire was still in the castle after his trial, we thought you'd be safe on your own for a short amount of time." Aro explains, and he forcefully takes me out of Caius' hold, to pull me into a hug of his own. I accept it, wrapping my arms around his waist, relieved that I was still alive and able to do this. I had been so scared.

"I know, I'm sorry love. It must've been terrifying for you." Aro says, and I realize his hand was resting on the back of my neck, enabling him to see my thoughts.

"I really thought I was screwed." I mumble, and his hold on me tightens at it. Caius growls, as all of us think of what could have happened.

"Well, thank God you're alright. It's a good thing you screamed." Marcus speaks up, sounding distraught. I let go of Aro, only to sit down next to Marcus. Caius sits down on my other side, and Aro appears in front of me, on his knees.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." Caius mutters, and I lean my head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"I won't, promise." I whisper. We remain like that for a long time, Marcus and Aro each holding my hand. Eventually, I fall asleep, exhausted by today's events and my nightmare.

I'm awoken by a knock on my door.

"Yes?" I call out, tiredly, moving to sit up as the door opens slowly, revealing Felix.

"Sorry for waking you up. Master Caius has requested your presence." He says, and I have to rub my eyes for a moment. Then, I remember what happened yesterday. Wait, did he really hug me? And kill that vampire with his bare hands for trying to eat me?

"I-I'll get ready." I bring out, still a little baffled. Felix pauses at that, and I can see guilt appear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ophelia. I should've been there, I promised you would be safe with me." He speaks up, frowning at himself.

"Oh, Felix, don't be! You still have to feed, you know. It's not your fault." I exclaim, quickly getting out of bed.

"I'm your personal guard, I'm supposed to protect you. What if he had…" Felix trails off, and I stop him by wrapping my arms around him. He freezes up at that.

"Don't blame yourself for this, Felix. Let's just forget it, okay?" I say reassuringly, and he gives in.

"Alright. But I'm not letting you out of my sight again." Felix states, his eyes darting down to my hair.

"You should get ready, you look like you've got birds sleeping in there." He says with a coy grin.

"Hey!" I protest, but when he quickly closes the door again, I can't help but smile. Then, I remember that Caius was expecting me. Nerves begin to bubble up in my chest, and I get out of bed, into the bathroom. I find soft, dark red towels in the cabinet under the sink, and hang one on the hanger just outside the shower before hopping in. Halfway through, I notice how all the products in here were products I used myself. Aro! I found it truly astonishing, how he had remembered so many details about me just by seeing my memories.

Feeling a lot cleaner when I get out, I wrap the towel around me before having a look in the mirror. There were bruises on my shoulders from when the vampire had pushed me down on the floor. A shiver rolls down my back as I look at them, before grabbing the hairbrush that laid on the sink, and begin to untangle my hair. It felt strange, to be getting ready to see Caius. The way he had saved me yesterday, the angry roar as he attacked the guy, how tightly he had held me… It was totally opposite to the vampire who'd called me useless and chocked me at the airport, who had given me bruises himself. I didn't understand. All three of them had been so worried, looked so relieved when I was alright… it just didn't make any sense. Why would they worry over me?

Somehow though, I believed Caius had been genuine last night, and maybe he deserved a second chance. After all, these vampires probably weren't used to humans at all, except when they were food or worked for them. The vampire from yesterday only attested to that. I find a hairdryer and use that too, enjoying the feeling of soft, dried hair. When I make my way to the closet, I decide on a white dress that had sunflowers all over it, with tiny straps, no sleeves. On a second thought, I pull out a thin black turtleneck sweater to go underneath, so it would cover up the bruises. I find a pair of black Dr. Martens and put those on as well, and grab an oversized jean jacket in case I would get cold.

When I leave my bedroom, Felix is standing opposite the door, arms crossed over his chest as he leans back casually against the wall. His eyes land upon me, and he smiles.

"I will take you to Caius." Felix says, pushing himself from the wall. I take his arm almost automatically, and we make our way through the castle. We come across no one, and finally, Felix leads me through a pair of bigger doors than usual. Suddenly, we're outside.

"These are the gardens." Felix explains with a grin at my surprise. We follow a small path to a pergola. It's made of white wood, with white roses growing all over it. It was beautiful. When we get closer, I notice Caius standing in the middle of it, his eyes fixed upon me. I had no idea what his expression meant. He looked very handsome, though, his blonde hair catching the sunlight, dressed in a black dress shirt and black trousers.

"Good afternoon, Master Caius." I say, a tad nervous.

"Good afternoon, Ophelia." He answers, although he seems discomforted by my words. Did I say something wrong? Caius shares a look with Felix, who nods, then leaves.

"I was thinking that we could make a walk in the gardens." Caius says, and I nod in agreement, still nervous. He offers his arm to me, so I take it, my heart racing by now. He glances down at me, and then we leave the pergola, slowly walking through the garden. Silence surrounds us, and I busy myself by looking at my surroundings. The garden was beautiful, with tons of different flowers and plants, going as far as I could see. The small path was the only indication that the garden had not just appeared there randomly one day.

"Did you sleep well?" He asks after a while.

"Better. Did you really kill that vampire…?" I ask in return, trailing off. When I look up at him, I catch his red eyes, and he quickly looks away, awkwardness in his eyes.

"Yes." He states, and I hum at that, feeling my cheeks turn red.

"Thank you." I mutter nonetheless, but it's super awkward after that. Caius doesn't say a word, and neither dare I, so we walk in silence. Occasionally, I catch him staring at me, and then we make eye contact before both looking away quickly. After a while, Felix suddenly appears, and he flashes me a grin, like he knows something I don't.

"It's ready." Felix says, confusing me even more. He for sure knew something I didn't. Caius nods at him, and Felix disappears. Caius stops walking, and I stop too, turning sideways so that I'm now facing him. I have to look up, considering my head barely reaches his shoulders.

"This walk was actually more of a distraction. I have… prepared a surprise for you, in your room." Caius admits, seeming a little nervous. He rubs the back of his neck with his hand for a moment, red eyes meeting mine.

"I-Really? You really didn't have to do that, Master Caius." I stutter, feeling myself turn red. He turns serious at that, and takes my hands in his. I'm surprised by how cold they feel, but don't dare pull my hands away.

"Please stop calling me Master. You are not below me." He says, taking me aback.

"But… I'm just a human, you said so yourself." I argue. A useless human, to be precise.

"I was a fool. I'm just not… used to humans. I have never spent this much time with one. Also, the Romanians are our enemy, we had a big war a long time ago. It didn't feel like I could trust you." Caius admits, tightening his hold on my hands as he stares at me intently.

"I don't blame you for that. They tell me you guys are the ultimate enemy all the time. But I did not choose to come here, Caius. I'm scared and confused, and I have no idea why I'm here. I'm sorry if I insulted you with my words back at the airport, I was scared and angry. I've never had to watch my words around vampires before." I explain.

"I don't want you to watch your words around me. From what I've heard from Aro and Marcus and even Felix, you're very enjoyable when you're at ease. I would like to gain your trust, Ophelia. I never should have hurt you." Caius insists. "Just let me show you the surprise?"

"I-Okay." I give in, and he seems relieved. He offers me his arm, and we continue our walk, a little more at ease now. Had Marcus and Aro really told him I was enjoyable to be around? Huh. When we reach my room, Aro and Marcus are waiting outside.

"You look beautiful, cara mia!" Aro speaks up, making me blush. Marcus doesn't say anything, but he flashes me a kind smile.

"Your surprise is in your room." Caius says, sounding a tad nervous. This in return makes me nervous, and I throw him a last look before opening my bedroom door.

Oh. My. God.

In the right corner of my room now stood an oaken desk, beautiful angels carved into the wood. What really caught my eye, though, was the laptop on top of it that was connected to a stereo. Shocked, I walk over to it, recognizing the brand of the stereo as a very expensive one, known for its amazing quality. The stereo was designed to look like an old radio, with light wooden casing, two speakers placed inside it. When I turn back around, Caius is waiting a little bit in front of the doorway, seeming a bit nervous.

"Aro told me you like music." He admits, rubbing his neck once more. I grin at it, and fling myself at him to hug him.

"Thank you so much, I love it." I whisper, pulling him close. He freezes up at it shortly, but then I feel his arms wrap around me in return.

"Turns out I was right, huh?" Aro notes dryly, but when I let go of Caius, he has a smile on his face.

"I don't understand how you remember so much from my memories, really. Thank you for the tip, I'm very happy with it." I say, smiling at him.

"You're welcome, but it was truly all Caius." Aro admits.

"Well, thank you, Caius." I say, turning my attention back to the blonde.

"It's nothing." He dismisses, seeming a bit awkward because of all the attention he's getting.

"We'll leave you alone to it. Felix installed your laptop, it should work just fine. Enjoy your day, Ophelia." Marcus says, and I smile.

"Thank you, all three of you." I say once more, and then they're gone. I close my bedroom door, and can't help but grin. It was time for a jam session.

Master Caius had really gotten on Ophelia's good side. She had been playing music all evening long, and Felix enjoyed listening along, for it gave him something to do while standing guard. Right now, she was running a bath, filling the air with a wonderful scent of lotus flowers and a sweet but subtle thing he couldn't quite identify. Felix heard her put on a different song before getting into the bath, the water splashing softly. Then, she began to sing.

"There's something sweet and almost kind"

Felix' eyes grow wider. She had a beautiful voice. Her voice was heard over that of the original song, which he assumed was a musical, considering the cheery music. In a second, Caius appears in front of him, eyes fixated on the door.

"But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined

And now he's dear, and so unsure

I wonder why I didn't see it there before"

Felix chuckles at that. Caius flashes him a glare, but he can tell it isn't genuine. The always-angry vampire leans against the wall, next to her door. The water splashes again, and Felix can smell the undeniable scent of vanilla shampoo.

"She glanced this way, I thought I saw

And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw

No, it can't be, I'll just ignore

But then she's never looked at me that way before"

A man's voice comes from the stereo, sounding a bit deformed. What on Earth was this song? In any case, it fit Caius spot on.

"New and a bit alarming

Who'd have ever thought that this could be?

True, that he's no Prince Charming

But there's something in him that I simply didn't see"

Ophelia sings again, sounding happy. When Felix looks at Caius again, there's a soft smile on his face. What the hell? Felix had never seen him smile before, it was creepy. Caius realizes he's being watched, and immediately scowls.

"If you tell anyone, I will rip your head off." He threatens, and Felix believes him.

"I think she's very happy with your gift." Felix says with a grin, and Caius relaxes slightly, gaze turning to her door. She's still in the bath, probably relaxing a bit.

"Felix, you can take a break. I'll stay with her." Caius says, surprising Felix even more. Out of the three kings, Caius was the harshest, and it was very unlike him to offer him a break.

"Thank you, Master Caius." Felix says as he bows his head before disappearing.

If Caius was going to ease up because of Ophelia, Felix liked her even more.

The next morning, I have just barely managed to close my eyes for an hour, when I feel someone else in the room.

"Ophelia?" a voice whispers carefully. I shoot upright at that, but a hand quickly covers my mouth before I can make any noise. I'm shocked to find Sulpicia's face in front of me, a kind smile on her face.

"We have to be quiet. Come with me." She whispers, slowly letting go of me. I get out of bed, confused as hell.

"What's going on, Sulpicia?" I whisper, worried something was going on.

"We're kidnapping you." She whispers back, a grin on her face.

"Wait! I'm not dressed yet." I argue, motioning towards the oversized shirt I had been wearing to sleep in.

"Don't worry, you can borrow something from me. We have to go now though, before Felix realizes what's going on." She whispers, urging me to move. I follow her closely, and she opens the door carefully. Heidi's standing there, no Felix, a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Felix went to feed, we don't have long though. He's been on edge since that attack." She whispers, and before I can protest, Sulpicia lifts me up with ease, and speeds off.

When we stop, I realize we're in some kind of tower. I had no idea there was a tower here! Sulpicia quickly closes the door, and Athenodora is waiting there, a smirk on her face.

"Good, you got her out! Did anyone see you?" She asks Sulpicia, who shakes her head eagerly.

"We even have one of the human maids in her room, she's going to pretend she's Ophelia to mislead Felix. We should be safe for a few hours, before they notice she's gone." Sulpicia explains.

"Um, could you explain to me what's going on?" I speak up, very confused. They both turn to grin widely at me.

"We're kidnapping you for a girls day!" They exclaim, startling me. I can't help but laugh at that.

"You guys are insane." I bring out between laughs, as they both begin to giggle.

"Come on, we've been locked up in this tower for centuries. We deserve to have a little fun." Sulpicia says.

"Corin?" Athenodora asks, and the vampire speeds inside, so I assume she had been keeping watch outside.

"Yes, my queen?" Corin asks, a tiny smile on her face as she notices me. So she was in on the plan too!

"Can you draw us a flower bath? Our little human smells too much like herself, Demetri will find her within seconds." Athenodora says, making me turn red.

"Um… are you sure I'm going to have fun too?" I bring out, a little nervous.

"Of course, dear! Just let us take care of you!" Athenodora says, placing her hands on my shoulders to lead me into a bathroom. It held three bathtubs, all of which Corin was filling at the moment. Oh my, what had I gotten myself into?

Turns out that Athenodora and Sulpicia's idea of fun was basically a spa day. The three of us had taken a flower bath, each of us having our own tub, and if I was being honest, it smelled delicious, flowers literally floating around me in the water. Sulpicia insisted on washing my hair for me, which she did amazingly gentle, but I had to loudly refuse them to wash my body, which they found weird.

"I'm not a doll!" I bring out, embarrassed. Athenodora merely shook her head, muttering about how "she had forgotten how embarrassed humans could get about their body". When we got out of the bath, I got wrapped up into a big, fluffy dark red bathrobe, which the other two wore as well, and then Athenodora put me down onto a queen bed, before sitting behind me and starting to comb my hair carefully.

"Can I ask you two something?" I ask after a moment. Sulpicia nods kindly at that. "Of course, honey." Athenodora says.

"Where is Marcus' wife? There are three bathtubs, but only two of you."

They both fall silent at that, and I realize it's a touchy subject. Oh no, what had I done?

"Marcus used to have a wife, Didyme. She was Aro's sister." Sulpicia speaks up, a sad look in her eyes as she walks over to the bed, sitting down beside me.

"W-Was?" I stutter, dread filling me.

"She was killed by a werewolf in our wars against them." Athenodora explains, sounding upset herself, her hands momentarily frozen on my shoulders, the brush long forgotten.

"I-I'm sorry, I had no idea. What was she like?" I ask, and Athenodora returns to combing my hair.

"She was… like a light in the darkness. She brought happiness to all those around her, you see, it was her power. Marcus adored her, we all did." Sulpicia explains, and I swear she would've cried if vampires could. A tear unwillingly slips down my cheek at that.

"She sounds amazing." I bring out, sniffing a little.

"She was. Her tombstone lies in the gardens, we pay her a visit often." Athenodora says.

"Now, let us not be sad today. You're here to enjoy yourself!" She continues sternly, tugging playfully on my hair. I sigh, but nod in agreement.

After combing through my hair, Athenodora did an elegant French braid, which I thanked her for. Then, they forced me into all kinds of clothes they pulled from their closet, none of them exactly what they wanted, according to their bickering.

"That's way too short, Athenodora!"

"She's not wearing that dress you chose, it's not a funeral, Sulpicia!"

"She's going to look like a whore!"

"No, you're making her look like a grandmother!"

As they're arguing, Corin steps away from the wall, speeding into the closet before returning with a beautiful white dress that had flowers all over it in soft colours, with puffy sleeves, and a dark brown leather corset.

"I think you should try this on, Lady Ophelia." She says softly, handing it over to me with a smile. I can only stare at the outfit, shocked.

"Oh Corin, you're right! She'll look beautiful!" Sulpicia squeals, taking the things from me.

"You're an angel, Corin. This is exactly what we needed." Athenodora says with a smile before turning to me. "Now strip, honey. We don't have all day!"

I protest a bit, but allow them to help me with the dress. They tightened the corset way too harshly, until Corin noted that I was turning blue. After some adjustments, it was perfect.

"Look in the mirror, honey!" Sulpicia says, leading me towards the big mirror that stood in the corner of the room, reaching from the floor to the roof. When I step in front of it, I gasp in shock. I looked like I walked straight out of Pride and Prejudice, and I loved it.

"This is beautiful, thank you so much!" I bring out, turning around to wrap them both into a hug. They seem surprised, but I find them hugging me back.

"Now, time for makeup!" Sulpicia exclaims, pushing me to sit down on a floral cushioned stool. I'm becoming quite used to them dragging me around, so I just let her go at it, while Athenodora changes into a beautiful, leather black dress.

"You look beautiful, Athenodora." I speak up, and she smiles at that.

"Thank you, dear. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to be this… kind. Most humans really aren't very friendly." She admits, moving to sit down beside me on another stool.

"I-thank you, I guess? I thought you were very intimidating at first, if I'm being honest." I admit, making her chuckle.

"Yes, you said that when we first met." Sulpicia notes with a snicker.

"I'm enjoying being kidnapped." I add, and we all giggle at that. Sulpicia finishes in no time, working at vampire speed, and when she holds up a handheld mirror for me, I'm positive that I have never looked more beautiful in my life. She had kept it really simple, with a pink-reddish smokey eye and some eyeliner and pink lip gloss, but it matched the dress perfectly.

"What are you thinking, honey?" She asks curiously.

"That I've never looked more beautiful in my life." I bring out honestly, and she smiles warmly at that.

"Oh! You still need to eat!" Athenodora exclaims as Sulpicia goes to get changed, returning in a dark red, long sleeved dress, that flared out from the waist.

"We can't go to the kitchens! They'll notice her scent on us." Sulpicia argues. An idea forms in my mind at that.

"What if we went outside instead? I can eat there, and you guys can get out of the tower." I suggest with an innocent grin. As they both begin to smirk, eyes sparkling at the idea, I know I've done the right thing.

"I'm starting to like you more and more, honey. Let's do that!" Athenodora agrees, making me grin.

"Wait! We have to change if we go out, the sun's shining!" Sulpicia exclaims, and they both quickly change at that. When they're ready, Sulpicia's wearing a long sleeved, high collared, flowy summer dress in a light yellow colour, whereas Athenodora's wearing a deep purple, long sleeve jumpsuit. Both of them wore a wide brimmed summer hat and sunglasses, and handed me the same. After that, we sneakily sped out of the castle with Corin, Athenodora carrying me. Once we made it out of the castle, the sun hits my skin, and I can't help but sigh in relief.

"I've missed this." I mutter softly.

"We too, honey, we too." Sulpicia admits. When I look around, I realize we're in a deserted alley, and that Corin was now joined by Afton and Chelsea.

"Won't they get punished for being part of this?" I ask, a little nervous.

"Of course not, we're the kings' wives! Besides, it's the least they can give us, after everything." Athenodora assures me, and the two queens move to walk on either side of me, hooking my arms in theirs, as we begin our little trip.

"What do you mean? Did they really lock you up in that tower, like fairy tale princesses?" I ask, confused.

"We chose to lock ourselves in. After what happened to Didyme, and seeing how upset it made Marcus and Aro, even Caius, we decided we didn't want that to happen ever again." Sulpicia explains, as we walk onto the square with the clock tower. God, this place was beautiful. I relish in the feeling of the sun on my skin, enjoying to be outside again.

"That's very sweet, but don't you deserve to have your own lives?" I ask, as we make our way across the square. It was busy, but not too busy, which made it pleasant to walk around.

"We weren't exactly born in a time where women had much to say, honey. I'm afraid our kings have remained stuck in that time for a long time, and so have we." Athenodora says with a sigh, leading us into a different street. There were all kinds of shops and restaurants here, which had me studying everything intently.

"But times change, don't they. Women can work now, we can vote, we're equals. As it should be." I argue, making them both turn to look at me.

"Women can vote now?!" Athenodora exclaims, surprised.

"Oh boy, I'm starting to think I have to fill you two in on a lot!" I exclaim, before the three of us begin to laugh.

And so I tell them of everything that had changed, as we roam the stores. Athenodora and Sulpicia never once looked at price tags of things, merely tossed it towards the counter when they liked something, including stuff for me. I tried to protest, but they brushed it off.

"Curtesy of our lovely husbands!" Athenodora says with a smirk, casually waving at me with a sleek black card. I can't help but giggle at that. A little in the afternoon, we stop at a cocktail bar. I get a salad with lots of vegetables to eat and a pina colada, as the other two sip on their Bloody Mary's. How ironic. We sit on a terrace in the shade, watching people pass by.

"Do you think they'll notice I'm gone?" I ask after a while, making them smile at each other knowingly.

"They'll notice any time now." Sulpicia says.

"Won't I get in trouble?" I ask, a little afraid.

"Of course not, honey. Have you not noticed? The kings think very highly of you, especially Marcus. I haven't seen him this happy since Didyme." Athenodora reassures me, placing a cold hand on top of mine.

"Is… is that why I'm here? To replace Didyme?" I ask then, thinking back to our moment in the library.

"Honey, do you really think you're here to replace someone? You're unique, not a replacement." Sulpicia says, seeming honestly hurt by the idea.

"I-I don't know, Aro never told me why I'm here. All I know is that they said something about fate, and not even my friends would tell me what was going on!" I exclaim with a sigh.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure they will tell you when the time is right." Athenodora reassures me.

"Why did you ask that, Ophelia? Do you like Marcus?" Sulpicia asks curiously. I can feel myself turn bright red at that.

"I-I don't know! He's very sweet, but I barely know the guy!" I stutter, and they share a knowing smile.

"Come, we're not done shopping!" Athenodora says, dragging me away.

By the time we return to the castle, the sun had already set. We had shopped the entire afternoon, occasionally holding a break so I could drink something at a bar, to make sure I didn't dehydrate in the hot weather. Volterra was beautiful, and I found myself enjoying my time with Sulpicia and Athenodora, as Corin, Afton and Chelsea stuck close to our side, but didn't really join our conversation. The two queens made me blush by dragging me into a lingerie shop and making me try on almost everything, all the while squealing about how good I looked, together with the shop owner. They also bought everything I tried on, and now I had to walk around the town with very obvious lingerie bags. But the worst part was when we entered a beautiful jewellery shop, and they bought me a beautiful necklace that had a tiny heart shaped sapphire in it.

"It's for you to remember us by, honey." Sulpicia had said, causing Athenodora to give her a pointed look, before the two of them pulled me into a hug, making me tear up slightly.

After that, they had taken me to a beautiful little Italian restaurant and made me eat all sorts of delicious things until I felt like I was going to throw up if I ate one more bite. Now, we're entering the castle, laughing loudly about something Sulpicia had said, our hands full of shopping bags.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Caius exclaims, bursting into the hallway, only to freeze up at the sight of us three, laughing. I quickly sober up, nervous.

"Sulpicia?" Aro appears as well, a baffled look on his face.

"Ophelia, there you are!" Marcus exclaims relieved, appearing in front of me. I turn bright red as he takes my hand in his before kissing my hand gently; making the other two giggle.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! We thought she had been kidnapped!" Caius exclaims, still sounding angry, but a lot less than before.

"Oh, but I was kidnapped, Caius! And it was wonderful!" I exclaim, before laughing once more, the other two joining me.

"Relax, husband, we were only having fun. Ophelia told us all the things that have changed since we moved into the tower. Did you know women can vote nowadays?" Athenodora says with a smirk, and Caius visibly gulps at that.

"Yes, husband, don't you think that's wonderful! Women are now viewed as equals!" Sulpicia adds, and this time it's Aro who turns a little paler.

"I had a lot of fun." I say to Marcus with a grin, who smiles down at me.

"That's great, darling. Just let us know where you're going last time, we were worried." He says, clearly trying not to sound too stern.

"It's not her fault, Marcus, we kidnapped her." Athenodora waves his worries away, and I give him a shrug.

"And you kidnapped our credit cards as well, apparently." Aro notes dryly, eyeing all the shopping bags we were holding, including the guards.

"It wasn't me!" I quickly defend myself, making Athenodora and Sulpicia chuckle.

"Now, husbands, I think we need to have a serious talk. You haven't visited us since the sixties." Athenodora says, Sulpicia nodding in agreement. The two vampire kings seem a lot less imposing at that, perhaps even scared! Then, Sulpicia says the words that were going to change my life forever:

"How come you did not tell dearest Ophelia you three are her mates?"