Elizabeth had always been good at compartmentalizing, putting everything that had ever hurt her in a box in the corner of her mind, sealing it with lots of locks with no key in sight. Yet now the box had sprung open, and like Pandora she awaited for hope to flutter out. Tory had left with a promise in her eye, a sense of determination that meant but one thing: the wolves were going to come for Eliza, a death trap locked into place. Guilt churned in her at the thought of Sam Uley maxing out a credit card for an overpriced plane ticket, insisting on rescuing Eliza like a princess from a tower.

One corner of her mind fretted over the practical aspects of her life, while another chewed over the mystical aspects. Vampires were real, shapeshifters were real, her sister had been dating a boy who could turn into a wolf, her cousin was a wolf. The thought of Jake, the boy whose love of tinkering had began when she allowed him to follow her into their grandfather's garage, turning into a growling, feral beast, churned her stomach. Eliza stood motionless at the arch of the castle door for a few long moments, even after the three men had reappeared, unmoving in an arch around her.

"Elizabeth…" Aro trailed off, though Eliza did not respond, did not even so much as blink. They had appeared without her sensing them, their movements too quick. It occurred to her then that they could easily do the same to her, as they had the others they arrived with. But they had let Tory go, as a sign of good faith, no doubt, though she felt none.

"Eliza," Marcus tried this time, moving purposely slow, his hands splayed out in front of him as if she were a frightened animal. He stepped in front of her, blocking her view of where Tory had long since disappeared.

"What does it mean to be mates…" She faltered, did she call him by his name, by a title? "Marcus?" His name swirled on her tongue, feeling inadequate with her American accent. Marcus, however, preened under the familial use of his name, the commonality of it.

Three sets of red eyes glanced between themselves, calculating a response. Aro flitted forward, spooking her with his speed. 'Death has red eyes.' She reminded herself, shying away from his hands as they touched her bare skin, almost purposely. His fingers traced a loose lock of hair, twisting it behind her ear. Eliza considered pushing him away, but her instincts were crumbling, begging her to relax into his arms, melt into the comfort offered. Aro smiled, strangely in tune with her emotions, her thoughts, trailing his fingertip down the shell of her ear and towards her neck. She flinched when he traced her pulse point.

"I can feel your heart, breaking and mending all at once." Aro whispered, his frown mirrored by Marcus, who viewed her bonds and was not fond of what he saw.

"Brother, she should rest." Marcus chided, moving away from the open door and the sunlight, ending just before where Eliza stood, guiding them towards the belly of the castle. Autumn was just beginning, and the kings had ordered a fire to be lit in the hearth, so when Eliza allowed Aro to gently guide her into the room, the warmth washed over her.

She ignored the high backed chairs and half collapsed in front of the fire, just before the gate that kept the ashes within. Her fingers fiddled with her hair, releasing it from the braid and combing it through with her hands. Some people chopped their hair while grieving, a physical change to represent personal loss, but she could never do such a thing. Her hair was her pride, she had spent years growing it out, deep conditioning and brushing it constantly. Did shapeshifters have long hair in both forms? She chuckled to herself, imagining a wolf version of Cousin It from the Addams Family.

It was not until all three joined her by the fire that she realized she had been led into a person study, where three seats were placed so that each person might glimpse every exit while still enjoying the fire. Eliza sat, cross legged before the three of them, centered. After the heat warmed her face, she twisted, the fire fanning itself out behind her, the men watching her every move.

"I'm sorry, I…" Her words faltered as she fidgeted more, "It's a lot to process, nearly dying and finding out...finding out that storybook monsters are real." Eliza barked out a laugh, was it wrong that she felt the urge to drown herself in alcohol for the night? It had worked the first few nights after the accident.

"How much are you aware of…" Caius trailed off, he seemed the least trusting of the brothers, his lips curved into a sneer.

"Vampires?" She laughed, "My mom would rant and rave about 'the cold ones', I thought it was like when little old ladies warn of the evil eye, the musings of superstition. I knew a kid in school who believed in the Loch Ness monster...oh god, is she real too?" For a moment she took the thought seriously, but when Aro began to giggle, she smiled as well.

"And the wolves?" Caius pressed, looking for a reason to slaughter them, a reason to claim the bond he felt was a false one.

The joy melted from Eliza's face. "Apparently it was a need to know sort of thing." Her mouth puckered, sour like a lemon, "And I had no need to know." Was it because she had left for school, ran from home like a bat out of hell the first chance she had? She was half caste, not native enough, her skin not russet enough. People on the reservation looked down on her for not being fully Quileute, like her siblings. Perhaps she was not part of the tribe, not in the way she had thought.

"Caius, do not upset her." Aro scolded, eyes analysing her every move. How flawed and human she must look to him. Her finger threading her hair, moving it back into a tightly wound braid and cinching it with the leather cord and small salmon. "Where did you get that charm?" Aro asked, curiosity seeping into his tone.

"My mother." She replied simply, smiling wistfully. "She did not want me to come here, she wanted me to stay home, get my teaching credentials and work with kids on the Rez." But that was not what Eliza wanted. 'You have an old soul, child. Lifetimes of heartache make one restless' Her grandma had told her more than once. She was never able to remain stagnant, she needed change, needed life.

"What is its intent?" Aro asked, his own hand reaching towards it. Eliza hesitated before opening her palm, passing it onto him. He hissed the moment it touched him, a tiny sizzling sound echoing as the wood plopped onto the floor, unphased. Aro stared at his hand for a moment, at the quickly healing burn, and then onto the token on the floor.

'What the fuck?' Eliza gingerly picked up the totem, stroking the smooth texture of the white bark. All eyes were on her and she felt so small. She smiled sheepishly, her mother was known on the reservation for her charms and tricks, hence her name. What was it Bayak had said once, when she had a touch too much wine when her friends were over, 'your father called me his little Raven, he never would wrap his tongue around my name, ha! By-ook, it's not so hard.' Perhaps her grandparents knew her mother was a trickster from the moment she was born.

Eliza pocketed the charm, changing the subject quickly, "So about the mating bond..." She smiled, nervous yet strangely cozy from the fire.

"I believe we share a trinity bond. It's been nearly a thousand years since one has occurred." Marcus spoke with certainty, leaning forward in his chair. Eliza leaned in instinctually, his voice was a soft hum and she strove to hear more of it. When her shoulder grazed his leg, he did not move, if anything he went perfectly still, so she stayed leaning against him. "It last occurred about one hundred years before my brothers and I were reborn. A man with the power of fate, blessed with three mates to protect him from the evil that sought to ruin him."

"A tale meant to spook newborns!" Caius rebuffed, folding his arms over his chest. Eliza swore she saw him roll his eyes out of the corner of her own.

"Of the evils of the man of flame?" Aro questioned, sniggering. "All myths have hints of truth. He was said to have three mates, sisters in all but name, and what are we, brothers? As far as anyone need know, we share venom if not blood, that makes us brothers. And here, our lovely mate, in need of protection."

Eliza thought about the woman with red eyes, who had killed her in a time that never was, and wondered if that was who Aro referred to. She bit her lip when the thought struck her that he said 'our,' as in plural. Eliza had accepted easily that Marcus was her mate, his reaction to her presence only confirmed it, the way his face lit up. She sat up straight, recalling the way she had been drawn to Aro before as well.

Eliza sighed, eyes wondering the room and landing on Caius, who met her eyes with a challenging stare. She leaned forward, turning onto her knees and placing a hand on Caius's knee to pull herself up into a standing position, inching closer to him. Eliza dared not to look anywhere but his eyes, her fingertips stretching forward, tracing behind the nape of his neck, like Aro had to her previously. There was an instinctual urge, rattling her bones, to touch the men before her, memorize their faces and the way they smiled and smelled, did vampires have cold, hard skin, or would she find warmth beneath her fingers? It must be the mating bond, clutching for a foothold. When Caius raised his chin ever so slightly to allow her hand to slip to the bottom of his scalp, Eliza smiled.

Whenever she or one of her siblings were sick growing up, their mother would run her nails along their scalps, rustling their hair until they fell asleep. As the eldest, she had learned the trick, it worked well when Tory sneaked into her bedroom at night, crying about shadows on the wall. Her nails grazed his scalp and a purr echoed across the room, deep and rumbling from Caius's chest . She moved to remove her hand, but Caius grasped it with his own, snarling before catching himself and letting her palm drop. She had the sudden urge to press her face into the crook of his neck, let the purr lull her into sleep.

"Instincts go into overdrive when a mate bond is still settling." Aro informed with a cat-who-caught-the-canary smile. "My brother has always been driven by his instincts more than others." Eliza blushed, amusing all three brothers.

"When I was seven, I thought I was going to die." Eliza grinned, noting the concern on their faces, "I had appendicitis, my appendix nearly burst, apparently. All I remember is burning up with fever during a sleepover at Nana Margaret's, my brother and sister attempting to comfort me by chasing and catching all five of Nana's cats, plopping on on my body and rushing to chase one as it ran away. One cat though, Campbell, he simply made a nest out of my hair and curled himself around my head, imagine the EMT's surprise when he found a maine coon curled into a pillow!" She conjured the image in her brain and then tested a theory, reaching across towards Aro and grazing her fingertips over the exposed flesh of his wrist, just where his sleeve ended. The man broke out into a grin the moment they touched, amusement dancing in his eyes

'You can hear my thoughts when we touch.' Her eyes narrowed as Aro turned sheepish. She had never heard of vampires with such gifts, her mind conjuring images of a witch casting spells, cursing vampires further.

"Some are simply special when they are turned." Aro informed, preening like a bird, "Such as myself and Marcus."

"Being special does not make you clever, Aro. Our Elizabeth figured you out quite quickly." Caius snarked in rebuttal, pulling Elizabeth away from Aro and closer to himself. Eliza, for her part, felt a flare of rage.

Marcus seemed the most aware of it, the strain reverberating through the bond. He remained silent, allowing her a moment to process. He was aware of the newly broken bond between Elizabeth and Samantha, it was a thorn in his side, for it seemed to pulse with grief. When her eyes lost the spark of anger, he opened his mouth. "Have you lost someone recently?"

"Is that your gift, sensing emotions?" Eliza bit back, "Or is my life an open book?" Her eyes were hardening, mouth pressing into a thin line.

"I can see bonds, I recognized the mate bond between you, myself and my brothers the moment I laid eyes on you. There is a freshly snapped one connected to you, it pains you." Marcus replied, his brothers gawking at him slightly. It struck him then that he hadn't spoken this much in years.

Eliza fished her phone out from her purse, bypassing the multiple notifications: three missed calls from her mother, one from her stepdad, six from Victorya, along with a string of text messages. She went to her photos, flipping through until she saw one of the two of them, posing with the engagement ring. Her mind recalled the way Caius called her theirs, like she was a piece of property already sold to them. She flipped it around for the trio to see, Eliza grinning so hard her eyes were barely open, Sam's arm wrapped snugly around her shoulders, draped with practiced ease. They were both dressed up, Sam's ash blonde hair twisted above her head, Eliza's loose and flowing around her face, her hand raised to show off the sparkling, humble diamond.

"Her name was Samantha Washington, I was going to marry her." Her words were flat, but her eyes held a silent challenge. Did they still want her now, knowing she loved another woman? Was she still theirs?

"You loved her dearly." Marcus stated, cloaking the room in dark truth. "What happened?"

"We were driving home from dinner." She took a deep breath, Eliza was used to telling the story, to the police, to concerned relatives. She had practiced it, slicing a little bit of her heart and presenting it on a platter before her audience. "We hit a patch of black ice, Sam lost control of the wheel and we spun into a tree. It ripped the car in half from the force. Sam died on impact, Dr. Cullen said, a small mercy. I had a concussion, a few bruises, but was otherwise unharmed." The best way to lie was to sprinkle in the truth. Her broken mind was mended slightly by the truth she could now confirm. The police had said it should not have been possible, for the force of impact to slice a car in half, but it was the only reasonable conclusion they could come to, they did not know what she knew. That the vampire was there, the woman who killed her in a time that never was, as she had come to call her false realities, the creature whose body was sturdy enough to slice a car in two using her own limbs.

"Dr. Cullen?" Aro asked, curiosity peaked. The gears in his mind were turning, working at a quick pace.

"He pulled me from the wreckage. He was in the area and his wife asked him to pick up some kitchen appliances they left at their old house. Apparently it's their vacation home now. Though I haven't seen them in a few years, outside of the good doctor." Eliza shrugged, some say she could have died had the doctor not forced her to stay awake after the crash, though a part of her remembers drifting in and out of consciousness. When she woke up in the hospital, it was Carlisle who broke the news to her, gently and with empathy, though her mother simply simply arrived to see her weeping before the doctor and went into a rage, blaming him and his family for the accident.

The brothers all exchanged glances, speaking in quick, low voices, planning something. Eliza in response simply let out a huff, aware that they were talking behind her back to her face. "I suppose I'll let the immortals discuss." She was exhausted, emotionally and physically. Her mind nagged that she would need to meet up with Tory for lunch, but all she wanted to do was curl into a ball, maybe smoke a little joint and sleep the rest of the day away.

The brothers whispered quickly and softly again, seemingly coming to a decision before Eliza reached the door. Caius was opening it for her before she could blink, she was unsure if she would ever be used to their speed. "Come, there is time before noon yet, you may stay in my chambers until then." He surprised her, and for a moment she pondered if physical touch was what was needed to soften the man. He wrapped his arm around her waist, silently confirming her pondering, guiding her without choice on her part. Unused to being held yet still feeling the comfort of it, she allowed herself to be moved towards a door down the same hall, revealing a more masculine suite. It was spartan in style, with dark wood throughout. She walked slowly around the room, trailing her fingers across the different textures. Caius hovered by the door, watching her move throughout. Once she had made a full circle, Eliza made eye contact with him once more. Silence stretched.

"I'm glad you're here." He said simply, so softly her ears strained to pick up the sound, he seemed so fragile for a split second before his walls rebuilt themselves. Her heart bled, pouring out towards him, empathy overwhelming her. She crashed into his chest, tears pricking her eyes. Samantha was gone, lost to her forever more, while three men, three perfect mates, stood before her. His arms slowly wrapped around her, one hand around her waist and the other threading in her hair at the base of her scalp. Eliza breathed in a sob, Caius smelled like freshly burnt wood, crisp and harsh, yet comforting.

The door swung open once more, though Eliza's back was turned towards it. She felt Caius nod, his chin nudging her crown, before the familiar blackness of Alec's gift overwhelmed her.

A/N:

Shout out to Lauramari for the insightful review and speculations. Bayak means Raven in Quilete, so kudos for pointing out that significance.