A/N: Cameron suffers from insomnia, and someone is a painter.

Chapter Text

I'm in my room, pretending I don't exist. Same old, same old. I barely hear the thump through my earphones, and pull them out just in time to hear Father.

"What the hell, you can't just come in here, you bitch!" He exclaims, sounding offended and drunk. He's in a bad mood. The sound alone makes me want to crawl into a corner and roll up into a little ball, but the woman's voice makes me tip toe to my door to press my ear against it.

"Now now, where are your manners? I thought a gentleman like yourself would be nicer to a woman like me." She says sarcastically, her voice like the melody of a song you can't remember the name of.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? I'll teach you some manners!" Father shouts, and I can practically see him raising his hand, like he had done so many times before.

"Your worst nightmare." The woman answers, like she's not scared at all. Then, I hear my Father's screams. It sounds like he's choking, and it's when I shoot into action. I grab the baseball bat from underneath my bed, which I kept there for him but never dared use, and run downstairs.

Blood is everywhere.

I freeze up, and the bat falls from my hand, loudly hitting the floor.

"Oh, there you are, darling!" The woman speaks up. She has fiery red hair that's very curly, her skin as pale as chalk, but all I can see is the blood red eyes and how she's covered in blood splatters. Father's blood. I don't have to look down to know it, but do so nonetheless.

He looks… weak. It almost disgusts me more than anything else, to see him so defenceless and dead. It really could've been that easy for me to escape, and now I was going to die. When I look back up at her, she smiles widely.

"Don't worry, you're safe with my kind."

-Felix's POV-

Felix was being a terrible guard. He'd always been used to being part of the Volturi guard, but this was the first time he actually had to guard one person at all times. To be honest, he'd been very proud when Aro told him Ophelia specifically asked for him out of all the guard, but now, he doubted he was fit for the job. She had managed to slip away far too many times already, which had gotten him into a lot of trouble. The only reason the kings had used Jane's powers instead of physically hurting him, was because they might upset their mate.

Two days ago, Ophelia had disappeared while he was bickering with Jane. He'd eventually found her in that spaced out state of hers, and he'd quietly and quickly carried her to her bedroom, before anyone could rat him out. Jane had kept silent too, for technically she had been guarding Ophelia, not him. Still, Felix felt incredibly guilty. Ophelia answered the door for no one, not even her mates, and she cried all the time. It was all his fault. When she thought he wasn't by her door, for he'd hide in the shadows out of sight, she'd roam through the castle when the others were busy feeding or holding meetings, to ensure no one would bother her. Felix had seen her slip into the throne room last, and since he knew no one would be coming there for a day, he had let her be, standing guard outside. He had a feeling that she realized he was following her, but he didn't pry as much as Aro, Marcus and Caius probably would. Felix didn't mind; it was the least he could do. He had no idea what had caused her to be this upset, but he didn't know how to ask either.

"Gianna, what's on the schedule for today?"

Felix hears Aro asks from in the other room. Crap. Should he go warn Ophelia? Or should he stay here so they'd see he was guarding her?

"The first trial begins in 15 minutes, Master Aro. Another newborn who murdered out a village." Gianna answers. Despite her working here for a few months, you could still hear the fear in her voice, especially when one of the Kings talked to her. Felix kind of understood, though. They could be very frightening, certainly for humans. Even Ophelia, their mate, seemed to be scared at times.

Having a human as a mate didn't seem like the easiest thing to Felix. You could clearly see Ophelia was struggling with her new life, being away from the Romanian vampires whom she obviously was very close with. Every time her screaming tore through the night when she had those nightmares, he could see the pain in the Kings' eyes. The first time, the three of them had appeared in front of her bedroom in seconds, panic apparent in all of their expressions. Without saying a word, they'd agreed to send Marcus in, for he clearly made her feel more at ease.

Felix had already been part of the Volturi when Marcus' wife, Didyme, passed away. When they met Ophelia, it had been the first time for Felix to see Marcus smile in centuries. Felix rather liked his Kings, even with all their strange antics and a bit difficult characters. He only hoped that Ophelia would feel more at home soon. Maybe then they could spend more time together actually doing things, and he wouldn't have to be so bored with his job!

It's already too late when Aro appears in the hall, the other two right behind him, so Felix merely nods and steps aside. They seem surprised to find him here, but so far, they don't seem to make the connection just yet. Felix follows them inside, but the Kings stop abruptly, nearly causing him to bump into them. Confused, he looks around the room, until he finds the cause.

Right there, on Aro's throne, lies Ophelia. She appears to be sleeping peacefully for once, having found a… peculiar position to lie in. She's sprawled across Aro's throne, her head hanging over one arm, her legs dangling over the other. Her dark hair complements the throne, her skin contrasting with it. To be honest, she looks innocent, but oh so sinful at the same time, her back arching deliciously in the chair. If Aro ever saw Felix' thoughts, he'd most likely be dead the next second. She's only wearing a white dress shirt, which barely covers her thighs.

"If she wakes up because of one of you, you're dead." Caius mutters, voice deadly, before speeding off. Both Marcus and Aro remain frozen on spot, staring at their mate. The next second, Caius has returned, an easel, paint and lots of brushes piled up in his arms.

"Brother, perhaps you should ask her permission first?" Marcus offers carefully, realizing how much of a temper Caius has.

"If I don't paint this, I deserve to burn in hell for eternity. Now shut up and let me work." Caius snaps, starting. For once, Felix agrees with him. Thanks to vampire speed, he's finished half an hour later. He truly is one of the best painters Felix has ever seen, so the painting is gorgeous, looking exactly like Ophelia. When Caius paints, it's like he makes the things he paints even more beautiful. He didn't often show his works, and Felix knew it was a very private matter to Caius since no one was allowed in the king's painting room, but occasionally a painting would be displayed in the hallways, and it would be undeniably his.

"You can wake her up now." Caius orders once he's returned his things to his painting studio.

Marcus is the one to move, walking over to her.

"Ophelia?" He says softly, placing his hand on her shoulder gently. She hums, stirring. Suddenly, she bolts upright, but Marcus doesn't seem too surprised. When her brown eyes meet his, she smiles, and it's as if the weight from the past days has lifted. Marcus smiles at it, and when Felix glances at Aro and Caius, they both seem very relieved. Marcus carefully slides his arms under her and lifts her up with ease, holding her close to his chest.

"Do you want to go to your room?" He asks her softly.

"I'd rather stay here." She whispers, eyes closing tiredly as her head falls onto his shoulder. Felix knew that she must have been very tired if she was this close with Marcus. She hadn't really shown that she accepted their bond before, merely acted like they were friends, but now Felix could see it, clear as day. Felix assumed it had to do with her sleeplessness these past days. If Felix recalled it right, humans called it insomnia. Ophelia probably just collapsed on that throne eventually.

Marcus walks over to his own throne with her, sitting down with her in his lap. Felix can feel his undead heart warm up a bit when she cuddles closer to him, burying her head against his neck. Then, Aro takes off his cloak, only to cover Ophelia with it.

"Thank you, Aro." She whispers, not even looking up to see if it's him. When Felix takes a glance at Caius, he finds the grumpy King smiling warmly at the sight of Blaise and his two brothers. Felix can't help but shake his head at it.

She had all of them wrapped around her finger.

-Ophelia's POV-

The only thing I remember from my nightmare, is the vampire that killed Father telling me I was safe with her kind. When I open my eyes and see the same red in Marcus' eyes, I decide to just give in to it. It would do no good for me to ignore the bond, for it seemed to make me even more miserable, and the nightmares more lifelike. By the time I'm a little more awake, I realize I'm cuddled up against Marcus' chest, the cold from his body helping me to wake up.

"I am sure that you are aware of our rules. It is forbidden to draw attention to our kind, yet you killed an entire village! Surely you realize our secret could have gotten exposed?" Aro's voice says, and I open my eyes at that. He's talking to another vampire, one who's forced to kneel in front of the thrones. Felix and Demetri are holding him down by the shoulders, and I notice the cracks in his marble skin. It seemed like they had already done quite the job on him.

"Yet you sit here with a human on your throne." The man spats, and at that his red eyes flash up to meet mine. There's nothing but pure disgust, hatred and hunger in his eyes, and I notice how his red eyes are darker than normal. He must have gone without blood for a while. His blonde hair is a mess, and I notice how he would have been quite handsome as a human. For some reason, I can sense he's not used to this life, to being a vampire, that that's probably why he's so hungry and angry all the time.

"Marcus, let me stand." I whisper, and he reluctantly lets go of me, worry in his eyes. I flash him a smile, and stand up. For a moment, I have to find my balance, but then I make my way towards Aro, who's standing at the top of the few steps to the thrones, in front of the rogue vampire.

"I'm sure you're familiar with mating?" I ask him calmly, halting next to Aro. I notice how everyone's immediately on edge, including Caius and even Aro.

"It's disgusting that us vampires should be mated with your sort." He spats out angrily.

"Watch your tongue, unless you wish to lose it." Caius hisses dangerously, appearing by my side in a split second. The vampire goes from me to Caius, then to Aro, and at last to Marcus. When I look aside, I realize he's standing as well, eyes focused on the rogue to attack if need be.

"You're mated to all three of them? Disgusting, disgraceful, filthy whore-

Felix slams the guy straight into the marble steps face first, the stone breaking at impact.

Caius is growling, Aro grabs my hand protectively, and Marcus is right behind me now, his hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine, he can be angry. It's not my fault he's here, really. I was going to give him a second chance." I say dismissively, smiling down at him. He looks up, confusion appearing on his face.

"Not everyone is as horrible as you." I add, looking down at him. I have to admit that it feels powerful, to have the strongest vampires on my side. Aro turns to me at that with a smile, and I squeeze his hand.

"You insulted your Queen. You shall be punished accordingly." Caius sneers, still angry.

"Take him to the dungeons." Aro orders with a smile equal to mine, and the vampire shouts angrily all the way out of the room, until I can't hear him any longer.

"You can't just go up to a rogue like that!" Caius exclaims angrily, and he looks me up and down to verify I'm actually okay. Overprotective much?

"Please be more careful, love. We only care for you." Aro tries to calm all parties down, and I realize he's still holding my hand.

"I'm safe with you, you don't have to worry like that." I reassure them, and Marcus squeezes my shoulder gently.

"We know, but that doesn't mean we aren't protective of you any less. It's our nature." He speaks up, and I look back at him with a smile.

"I'm fine, relax. Now, if you'll excuse me, I owe Felix a day of actually doing stuff with him. I do not wish my guard to be bored with me already." I say as I step out of their protective triangle.

"Awesome!" Felix exclaims, an excited grin appearing on his face.

"Hey! I want to come too!" Demetri protests, pulling a face.

"What are you waiting for then? Let's go!" I say to him, and he grins before speeding over to my side, the two guards now flanking me.

"I'll talk to you three later. You seem busy." I reassure the three kings, which seems to help. Aro smiles, as does Marcus, and Caius seems less annoyed than usual.

The two are quick to whisk me out of the room, and just as quick to start bickering about what to do.

"She wants to play a board game." Alec suddenly says, appearing out of thin air. I let out a yelp, and he smirks at that, amused.

"You'll need one more for that." Jane speaks up, appearing next to Alec.

"Will you guys stop doing that?!" I exclaim.

"No!" the four of them say in unison, and I groan at it. Great.

It's 5 hours later, and I almost regret playing a board game with them. Alec had picked Risk, and they all were incredibly competitive. After one hour, I had lost all my land to Jane who clearly targeted me, but when Felix said I had survived longer against Jane than any of them had (apparently, she picked one person to target every time), I felt slightly better. Without me, they suddenly play a lot quicker, and all I see is flashes across the board, which nearly makes me dizzy. Felix is out about an hour later, and he disappears for a moment, only to return with a chicken salad for me. The two of us watch for an hour more, and Demetri offers for me to play with him as a team out of pity, but one look from Jane silences him. Eventually, Demetri is out, and he almost tosses away the board, but Alec quickly stops him. Jane and Alec are so focused on the game I feel like centuries could go by without them noticing, and when I quietly voice my concerns to Felix, he merely gives me a look that says that happened before. Demetri, Felix and I resort to playing Uno, which is incredibly funny.

"Ha!" Jane exclaims triumphantly, and Alec groans in defeat. I look up from where I was now sitting on the couch, Demetri and Felix currently playing Mortal Kombat on the PlayStation against each other, and find her grinning smugly.

"Congrats, Jane!" I say to her, and her face quickly turns back to neutral, though I see one corner of her mouth is lifted slightly more.

"What do you guys want to do now?" I ask, and the twins seems surprised by that.

"You… want us to choose?" Alec asks, like he doesn't quite believe it. His brown hair's a little more messy than usual, which makes him look even younger.

"Sure, I don't really have a suggestion." I say with a shrug, and he looks at his sister at it. She seems just as puzzled as he is.

"Just pick something, Alec, for Christ's sake!" Demetri calls out, eyes still trained upon the screen.

"She doesn't bite, you know. She's a lot nicer than the Masters." Felix adds, flashing me a short grin.

"He's right." I add with a grin, and the twins seem to relax the tiniest bit at that.

"Let's play hide and seek." Alec decides, but the reaction that follows has me confused. Felix and Demetri immediately toss away their consoles, no longer caring about the game, and Jane. Is. Smiling.

"Um… why do I have the feeling this is not what I think it is?" I speak up carefully, but then suddenly Alec is dragging me out of the room by my arm, a big smirk on his face.

"Don't worry, we'll try not to hurt you." Jane says with an evil smile, appearing on my other side. Now I'm sure I should be worried.

"T-Try not to?" I bring out, and the twins share a conspiring look at it. Oh boy.