Chapter 7 – Marcus

"Whose books are in my room anyway?" Castiel asked as Afton lead the way to the library, "I'm assuming they belong to someone since they would be in the library otherwise, right?"

Castiel knew they weren't far from their destination now because Afton had slowed in his step to walk beside her as they reached a hallway that was much wider than all the others. She could see the outline of two vast doors down at the other end of the hall. Castiel was slightly annoyed at how complicated all the paths were in this castle, and she knew that without Afton's help she would have to depend completely on visions to navigate. Her head was feeling full, she always felt like she had a buildup of pressure when she refrained from her visions for to long. Being sick was one thing, but intentionally not having vision could give her headaches as well.

"They belong to Master Marcus. I'm sure most of those tomes are well over a thousand years old which is why they are fairly irrelevant to you."

A thousand years old? She hadn't considered the reasons she couldn't read the books in her rooms being anything other than the fact she only knew one language, meanwhile it was likely that the languages the books were written in were long dead.

And if they could have books as old as Afton said they were, how old were the Volturi?

"How old are you Afton?"

Afton laughed, sending her a teasing look, "Isn't it considered rude to ask someone their age?"

"Only if you're a middle aged human woman, and as far as I'm concerned you aren't one of those." Castiel cocked her head to the side, grinning mischievously at him. "But you do have very feminine hips… I'm sure if we got you a grey wig and put you in a floral dress you could pull it off."

Afton did his best to look offended, but in the end he couldn't help laughing, "Hey! You leave me and my hips alone! But to answer your question… I believe around a decade ago I hit my twenty-three hundredth birthday."

Castiel's jaw dropped and she was rendered totally speechless for a moment before stuttering, "Y-you're kidding?"

"Not at all." He said seriously before grinning wolfishly at her, "So you better be nicer to your elders!"

Her flabbergasted expression didn't go away, and Afton poked her teasingly in the ribs.

"You think I'm old? I've got nothing on the Masters when it comes to age."

This caught her attention.

"You mean Aro and the other two men on the thrones?" Castiel's eyes were wide with surprise and alight with childlike curiosity. Afton couldn't help but think that she really was very attractive, and her easygoing personality was only a huge bonus to her looks thus far. He was surprised that there really seemed to be no boyfriend in the picture but couldn't deny that he was glad she was single for Marcus' sake.

"Yes," He affirmed, hoping she hadn't noticed his moment of thought, "Aro and his brothers Caius and Marcus."

"And how old are they?" Castiel felt like he was stalling by the way he paused before answering her, but he did answer her nonetheless.

"Caius is older than his brothers by only a couple centuries, and we believe he passed his four-thousandth birthday recently. Though we can't be sure of course when so much time passes you lose track of things like age."

Four thousand years old? Castiel had a feeling she resembled a goldfish with how much she was gaping. She knew they were immortal, but she was still surprised they could look like they were in such good shape after so many years.

After vocalizing this thought to Afton, the guard nodded at her in understanding.

"Something you must understand Castiel is once a person becomes a vampire, they freeze in their current state of being. We do not just stop aging, our bodies permanently become unchanging. We cannot gain or lose weight, we can't grow out our hair, and we can't reproduce… these things being unable to influence us leaves us looking the same our entire existence."

His tone had gone rather grave, so Castiel teased, "At least you guys are pretty."

It helped; a second later Afton was chuckling. "Yes, there is that."

Suddenly they arrived at two grand doors at the end of the hall. These doors were easily fifteen feet tall and just as wide. They were made of what looked like a very fine wood that was expertly carved with nature scenes, vines, and what seemed to be representations of angels and gods.

The doors were a masterpiece to look at, and Afton didn't interrupt her as she took a moment to observe the woodwork. The craftsmanship still impressed him to this day, so he could understand her wonder.

When she turned to look back at him, Afton merely gave her a small grin while promising she would be even more impressed by the library itself, before he opened one of the doors for her and stood aside so she could enter before him.

The Volturi's library was magnificent. It was multiple stories high with rolling ladders leaned up against many shelves. Castiel could see plush sitting areas, large round tables, and multiple fireplaces on the first floor alone. Looking up she could see onto the other floors, for the main foyer's ceiling reached up multiple stories and the ceiling itself was panted with a representation of what could only be Heaven.

There must have been millions of books in this library. The Volturi obviously hadn't spent their thousands of years alive without anything to do. This collection was beyond her wildest dreams, movies could never recreate such a masterpiece.

"We have a different way of organizing the literature here," Afton said, breaking Castiel out of her trance as she continued to walk further into the library. "We have books in really every language you can think of – though I know you prefer English – and most of our coven members prefer finding their reading by the year the books are from rather than the author, so if there is anything you are looking for specifically I'm sure I can help you find it."

Castiel nodded silently, acknowledging what he was saying even though she still felt too entranced to speak. Her attention was suddenly caught buy a section to the far-right corner of the library, it was roped off and shadowy as if the lights were out by those shelves.

Following her gaze, Afton answered the unspoken question in her eyes. "That is the restricted section. It has books the masters have written personally, as well as books on our species and books with… questionable topics."

Castiel turned, raising her brow at him, "Questionable topics?"

"Indeed," Afton's expression was severe, "The books kept in the restricted section are rather… unsettling. Some rituals depicted within them are enough to curl your hair and don't even get me started on some of the imagery."

She shivered, shaking her head at him. She didn't really want to know any more about the books in that section. Of course, she was sure the books must have come in useful at some point over thousands of years, she just knew she wouldn't be touching them with a ten-foot pole.

Glad he had diverted her attention away from the restricted section since no one was allowed to look at any of the books in that section without explicit consent of the masters, he led her to the left and into the maze of towering bookshelves toward the center of the library. Though she followed behind him, he could hear as she ran her fingertips across the spines of books or slowed her steps when something caught her eye. There was much here to be curious about, and even in thousands of years Afton hadn't learned nearly a quarter of what the library had to offer.

The center of the library was a sitting area. There were many plush chairs grouped around round tables that still had books resting open upon them, as well as parchment and notebooks scattered about. On the tables there were also notes left by other guards saying things like "do not touch" or "put these back and I'll rip your throat out" since sometimes it was unavoidable that they would be called to the masters aid or have to go on spur-of-the-moment missions.

The sitting area was circular, with a fireplace in the far right that had four high-backed plush chairs grouped around it. This area was where the brothers would sometimes go to relax and talk outside of their private rooms. Their private rooms were almost completely soundproofed to even vampire ears, though one could hear if they were standing directly against the door, so when they had conversations in the library it was rarely anything of importance.

Marcus was sitting in one of the chairs closest to the fire, his eyes locked on the same passage of the text he had been reading – or at least trying to read – for the last five minutes. When he had arrived in the library hours before hand, the guards who had taken rest in the center had left to explore other areas of the library or find their friends as it was common for him to want privacy. Only Afton's mate and Marcus' other guard Chelsea was still around, and she was resting with her legs crossed on the floor and her back against one of the bookshelves around fifty feet from Marcus.

Chelsea and Afton smiled at one another when their eyes met, and though he could feel Marcus' eyes bearing down on them Afton motioned to Chelsea with a smile.

"Castiel, I'd like to introduce you to my wife Chelsea." Afton's voice was so proud when he said her name that Castiel couldn't help but smile as Chelsea stood quickly and flashed over to them, stopping a few feet from her.

"Love," Afton said to his wife, motioning to Castiel, "This is Castiel."

"It's so nice to meet you." Chelsea said earnestly, reaching forward to take her shoulders and pull her into a gentle hug. This vampire was soft and almost motherly, with wavy chestnut hair and a heart shaped face. Her height was average at about 5'6" and she had the figure and curves of a goddess. Though that was not entirely surprising as she was immortal.

"Hi." Castiel was suddenly feeling very shy, as she wasn't expecting to be so welcomed. Everyone seeming to like her so much definitely made the fact she had been forcibly taken here, arrested, very confusing.

Castiel's scent had spiked when blushed and stepped out of Chelsea's embrace. It was like a sirens call to Marcus who shut his book to focus on his guard's interactions with her. The desire to have her closer almost consumed him, and the tugging feeling returned to his chest. But before he could stand to introduce himself Castiel's expression crumpled into one of discomfort, and her hand moved to cover her stomach.

"Castiel?" Afton's tone was suddenly concerned at her change of expression, and she shook her head at him as she let out a small sigh of irritation.

"I'm fine." She assured "My stomach just… lurched? Ugh. I don't know. I guess the tomato sauce in the pasta was a bit to acidic or something."

Both Afton and Chelsea's eyes flashed to Marcus, whose expression confirmed their thoughts. He had desired his mate's company and wishing for her to come to him caused their mating bond to flare up, trying to get her to act on the instinct.

So his little mate could feel the mating pull after all? How interesting.

While he was amazed she could feel the mating pull at all, Marcus was unbelievably pleased. Aro would have a field day with the fact his human mate could show such drives and Marcus didn't really care for the line of questioning that was waiting for him tonight because of it.

Afton thought quickly, knowing that Castiel's discomfort would remain until she did what the bond wanted her to do and went to her mate. It was very hard trying not to give any hints to Castiel about what was happening but still be of assistance. Her bond with Marcus simply wasn't his business though, and so it was up to his master to explain things to her.

He only hoped the requirement to bite his tongue would not be necessary in a few days, because this was already proving to be a little difficult.

So with a gentle hand on her back, Afton turned her to face Marcus, smiling as encouragingly as he could, "Castiel this is Master Marcus. You might remember him from the other night."

Castiel's stomach twisted in a sudden bout of nervousness. The last time she was in the vicinity of this vampire she had done something to hurt him, she knew she did, and she was suddenly very conscious of her hands, completely unsure what to do with them.

And as she fidget nervously, not knowing what to do with herself, Marcus took note of her sudden discomfort and slowly reached for her hand before gently grasping it and bring it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. Her hand was so much smaller than his – his long fingers grasped nearly her whole hand – and much warmer than he expected. He was relieved she didn't shiver at his touch and couldn't stop himself from taking a deep breath as she blushed even further, her whole face turning pink to the roots of her hair.

"It's lovely to meet you dearest," Marcus' voice was deeper than she expected, and she couldn't ignore the random pull of desire she felt because deep voices were something she found very attractive and frankly, they made her weak.

"Hello," Castiel spoke softly, her brain to mouth filter turning off as she tried to think of something to say, "Afton and I were just talking about you."

His eyes moved to catch those of his guard, who now looked slightly nervous, as an amused smile graced his lips, "Were you now?"

"Yeah, Afton was just going on about how ancient you were." She joked with a laugh as Afton sent her a glare.

It was a true indication of her easy personality that she was teasing Marcus the same way she teased her guard. Most wouldn't dare speak to casually to any of the kings, even with permission.

And if it weren't for the joy she was openly displaying at teasing his guard and himself about his age, Marcus would have been irritated. He hadn't been sure if his age was going to be intimidating to her and would have preferred to breach that subject later on.

But such inconveniences to plans were a part of life, and he knew he needed to cut his guards some slack as everyone was walking on eggshells around him right now and Aro was the only mind reader.

"I suppose I am." Marcus smiled at her, and it was a smile that lit up his whole face, the warmth in it touching his eyes. For a moment Castiel was dazzled and had to give herself a small shake so she could focus again. She was very confused as to what was going on with her as she wasn't used to being so… interested in men.

"To be fair though, after you live a hundred years birthdays do not feel as though they hold the same weight." He motioned to the seat across from where he was sitting previously, nonverbally asking her to sit with him.

And Marcus couldn't believe just how lucky he was when Castiel sat, leaving no indication that his invitation made her uncomfortable. Afton lowly muttered that he and Chelsea would remain in the library before discreetly pulling his mate away to give Marcus some privacy with Castiel.

While Castiel knew that instinctually she should be nervous about sitting with him, she didn't feel threatened by the king. Part of her feelings might have been due to the fact she wanted to apologize for whatever happened last night, but another part of her simply didn't feel the normal prey like reaction to this vampire – the instinct to keep her distance and remain alert that is.

She felt almost… safe, and that was frightening.

But she had to push her feelings aside, she knew that this was likely her best chance at getting answers, even if she wasn't sure of what questions she had to ask.

Marcus sat across from her, a grin pulling at his lips while he moved the book he was reading back to his lap. He thumbed through the pages to find where he had left off, speaking with an air of nonchalance.

"You can ask me whatever you'd like dearest. I can see the questions forming in your eyes."

When their eyes met this time his gaze was piercing, and she twisted her hands together in her lap as she tried to think about where to begin.

"I just… I don't know where to start," She admitted, "I've got a lot of questions and I don't want to seem like I'm grilling you."

She was very straightforward despite her nervousness, and Marcus tried to think of a way to ease her stress levels so she would feel free to speak with him.

"Well then perhaps we can come to an agreement? I won't answer any questions where I feel information will be of no benefit to you, but you may ask me whatever you like. You do not need to have coherency with your questions right now, as I understand a lot has happened to you in the last couple days."

She tried not to let the surprise show on her face at the fact he was so accommodating; she felt it might be a bit insulting to him if she let it be known that she was expecting a more standoffish reaction from someone who was… well a king.

"Uh well… um," Castiel shut her eyes and shook her head, taking a deep breath to clear her thoughts. She missed the sympathetic expression on Marcus' face as she spoke, "How long am I going to be here? I mean what's… what's going to happen to me now?"

Her voice had become very dejected after her pause, and her expression only added to injury as Marcus felt his self-control crack when he took in how raw her eyes were from crying herself to sleep.

Hopelessly he reached a hand out to her, before curling his fingers into a fist and placing it back in his lap, mentally chiding himself.

He could not touch her. She was scared and she was vulnerable. She did not know she was his, and his touch would not bring her any comfort.

"Nothing will happen to you Castiel," Her name flowed from his lips like honey, "You might not believe it but you are safe here."

Safe? Castiel gripped the arms of her chair rather hard, her nails digging into the fabric. She pursed her lips in an effort to stop them from quivering, but it was futile as she began to shake and her vision became blurry as her eyes filled with tears.

Fuck she was going to cry. She had been so sure she could keep it together, she'd cried all last night and there hadn't been a doubt in her mind that she didn't have any more tears to shed.

She was wrong.

"Oh little one," Marcus' sigh was kind as her composure began to crack, "You're going to pieces."

And he was right. No sooner had he said the words than she burst into tears, and even though she was crying she didn't miss the movement as he stood from his chair to kneel in front of her before loosening her grip on the chair with his fingers and folding her hands within his own.

She felt as though she was making a fool of herself. She hadn't meant to have such a monumental breakdown the moment she tried to talk about her fears.

"Hey," Marcus said gently as she squeezed her eyes shut to avoid looking at him as she sobbed, "Castiel what are you afraid of? I assure you if something is frightening you, you can tell Afton. He is your personal guard and you can certainly tell me what's happening as well."

"W-why do y-y-you care?" She stuttered, her voice cracking pathetically and her eyes burning with her tears, "You forced me here, you took away my family, you're going to make me a guard and I don't want to be-,"

This was the core of the problem; he could see that as he placed both of his hands on her upper arms, shushing her as he soothingly ran his hands up and down.

"I care because no one ever had the intention of hurting you sweet one," Marcus spoke quietly, "I am so sorry you were taken here but it is our law, the only other option would have been to-,"

He broke, off unable to say the words. He couldn't so casually talk about executing his mate, he hated himself for even suggesting it the week leading up to her being arrested.

She didn't know how to react to his comfort or his words of endearment, and only tried to choke back her sobs, her form now shaking rather hard as she tried to brush the tears away.

But Marcus caught her hand before it touched her eyes, and silently offered her a handkerchief from his pocket. He could tell she was trying to bring back some of her composure, and was relieved when she gently pat the tears from her face. He didn't miss her wince though and knew they would have to do something to treat the irritation around her eyes.

"We aren't going to make you a guard," He assured her, feeling it was best to be blunt with her. Because whether she knew she was his mate or not her becoming a guard was not up for discussion. She wouldn't be battling anyone, and his family would never allow her on the front lines.

"W-What?" She hiccupped, surprised by his words as he nodded at her.

"You aren't going to become a guard Castiel. I am so sorry that we cannot allow you to go back to your life before this, it is one of our very few laws that humans with knowledge of us cannot walk around unsupervised. Living in our castle is the only option now."

"But I was told-,"

He held up his hand to quiet her, stopping her argument. She was letting her emotions run rampant with her fears and getting herself worked up.

"What you were told is void." He said soothingly, sitting back on his heels, "What I am telling you now is the truth. No one is going to attack you, no one in this castle will change you if that is something you are afraid of. You cannot go home, but you are more than welcome to roam Volterra and the castle. You aren't a prisoner here."

Castiel felt the man deserved an award at how well he handled her fears. She wasn't sure if his promises meant anything, but he was one of the kings. So surely… if he told her she was safe on his order… than she must be right?

Why was he being so nice to her? What was this?

Marcus couldn't address the fact that she would be changed eventually, and felt horrible for phrasing his answers as if she had the choice to stay human. He was fine with her having time, and hoped that within a few years he could convince her to become an immortal with him, but he wouldn't lose her to old age. The only way that would be possible would be if it were over his charred ashes.

The relief when she nodded to him and took a deep breath to calm herself was overwhelming. He was conscious of the fact that she had relaxed in her chair, and after a moment she removed her jacket, revealing that she was wearing one of Athenadora's sleeveless blouses.

The flush of her skin was distracting, and he stood and went back to his seat so he wasn't so close because she was very tempting to him, and not in the manner of food.

After a few minutes of silence, where neither did anything other than breath deeply and stare at the flames in the fireplace, Castiel sighed heavily – her expression ashamed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out like that."

"You have nothing to apologize for," He promised when she shook her head.

"No. I do. I went at you like everything was your fault and it isn't. It's all my fault and I guess I'm just looking for someone to blame."

He wanted to argue with her, wanted to tell her that she wasn't at fault for anything. She didn't deserve to feel this upset, and while he wanted to tell her that he wished this had never happened he couldn't. If her friend Ajmer had never come near Volterra he would have never met her. It could have been a hundred years before the mention of her came up… and she would have long since passed in mortal death.

There was a pause for another moment, the only sounds in the library coming from Castiel's beating heart and steady breathing. It looked to him as if she was trying to collect her thoughts… she seemed to want to continue talking but was obviously trying to remain calm this time.

Not that it bothered him that she needed a shoulder to cry on, as he would gladly be that shoulder.

"So, if I'm not going to be a guard," She said, her blue eyes capturing his, "What am I expected to do here?"

Marcus leaned back in his seat, using a free hand to cup his chin as he ran his index finger across his lips absentmindedly. "Whatever you wish to do." He shrugged, "You are more than welcome to explore Volterra with Afton and perhaps get a better look at the grounds. I want you to consider yourself a guest… do not worry about what is expected of you."

Castiel found herself wanting to argue with him. Just don't worry about it? Try to relax and enjoy herself? Such things were much easier said then done, but she decided against voicing this to him. He had been nothing but courteous to her thus far, and right now she wanted to make more friends than enemies. She was nervous and unsure how she felt about the other two kings. Aro was a bit too exuberant and she knew that Caius had a rather nasty reputation, but Marcus seemed okay. He had even gone so far as to try and comfort her, an insignificant little human, a mere blip on his radar.

"Okay." She said finally, her voice guarded. Marcus could see she had a decent poker face when she made an effort at feigning indifference and was unsure how he felt about that. Though the skill was useful he wanted her to display her emotions more outwardly to him. He wanted to understand how she was feeling.

He wanted her to trust him.

"Why don't we play a game?" Marcus suggested knowing she had to have more questions for him, and he was hoping he could have get some answers of his own.

She obviously hadn't expected him to suggest a game, for her expression very plainly showed her apprehension, and she even looked a little scared.

This caused Marcus to laugh aloud. Laughing wasn't something he did often, but his laugh was deep and as smooth as silk, and completely unchanged from years of disuse.

Though Afton and Chelsea couldn't see their Master or his mate, they both were shocked into absolute stillness at the sound. They had never heard Marcus laugh like this. He might have given a small chuckle here and there every few hundred years, but a full-on laugh was something they weren't accustomed to. It seemed both guards shared the same thought as Chelsea took Afton's hand.

While the guards who were present during her trial were unsure of what Marcus' imprinting on Castiel would mean in the long run Afton and Chelsea were sure of one thing:

Castiel was a very welcome change.

"No need to look so frightened," Marcus' said once he stopped laughing, unable to wipe the smile from his face, "I was merely going to suggest that each time I answer one of your questions you could, perhaps, answer one of mine?"

And realizing what her expression must have looked like caused Castiel to laugh in embarrassment while wishing she had something to toss at him to make him stop laughing at her, "Okay, okay! Laugh it up on my behalf."

Both of them sat grinning at each other for a heartbeat before Castiel asked, "What questions could you possibly have for me?"

"Hm," Marcus mused playfully, earning himself an eye roll from his imprint, "Let's start with something simple. Your name for one thing is very unique. Does it run in your family?"

Marcus loved her name, it was unique and beautiful just as she was, but her expression faltered at his question. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke, "No, it doesn't run in my family."

"You say that as if it irritates you?" His question was more of a statement and she snorted in response.

"Well you'd be irritated too if your parents named you Castiel. It literally translates to castle in some languages, how ridiculous is that?"

"I rather like your name." Marcus mused, his words causing her to blush. He was interested in seeing that her ears turned red long before her face… so if a blush were to travel into her cheeks it hinted at much more acute embarrassment or mirth. Interesting.

But he understood why such a name could be bothersome to someone in this modern day as original names had become very uncommon over the years. "You'll find that the majority of us in this coven do not have very conventional names. My brothers are named Aro and Caius after all, and there wives Sulpicia and Athenadora."

This fascinated Castiel, as it hadn't occurred to her earlier that her guards name – Afton – wasn't exactly common either.

"And you've just met Chelsea, whose original name was Charmion-," Marcus heard a light huff of annoyance carried from the back of the library at this, and he smirked in response causing Castiel to look at him questioningly.

"Who does not prefer the use of her original name."

Marcus' grin made it obvious that he must have heard some form of protest from Afton's wife so Castiel smiled back at him good-naturedly.

"Alright so my name doesn't stand out here, that doesn't change the fact that it's stupid. Please just call me Cas."

While he wanted to tell her that he would prefer to call her by her full name he didn't get the chance to, because it was her turn to ask a question. It wasn't a question that Castiel felt really mattered at all but it was something that popped into her head that she was curious about before.

"What was that writing on the dais earlier?"

Surprised at this question Marcus' brow furrowed, "Pardon?"

"Back in the throne room, I mean, the room I was taken to when I got here. There were words on the steps. What do they mean?"

Her inquisitive look was endearing, and Marcus couldn't help the feeling of wonder that engulfed him at her expression. She could ask any question in the world and she asks this? Her innocent curiosity was an attractive piece of her personality and Marcus had to shake himself out of the slight daze that had overtaken him while he adored his mate.

"I believe it says No one is above the law, though that might be more of a loose translation since it is written in Latin."

And to his surprise, Castiel began to laugh, crossing her arms over her stomach as if she were to contain herself, "You're serious? Ha ha ha, that's great!"

He merely stared at her, confused as to why it was so funny, and his expression only seemed to amuse her more.

"No – seriously! Don't you see how amusing that is? It's exactly what I'd expect being dragged into a vampire's lair. So ominous. Much scare. Very spoopy."

Marcus didn't understand why she was speaking in broken sentences, and was alarmed when he heard bellowing laughter coming from the sitting area above them. Afton was laughing loud enough Marcus was sure Castiel could hear it.

"See?" She giggled, pointing to where Afton's laughter was coming from, "He gets it!"

Once she calmed down again, Afton spoke from his hidden spot in the library informing Marcus that she was making a joke out of an Internet meme.

While Marcus knew how to use a computer, he really didn't spend any time on the Internet doing anything other than research. Aro had been the one to suggest they all learned how to use the new technology when it came out, and while the wives loved it for the use of online shopping he and his brothers only ever used it for business.

"No offence," Castiel said, a huge grin on her face, "I'm not making fun of you guys, it's just all very silly."

"None taken," he said casually, even though she was definitely making fun of them. Just a little bit.

It was surprising to Castiel to hear this ancient king using modern phrases. She opened her mouth to ask another question when he held up a finger at her.

"Oh no, it's my turn to ask you something."

His smug expression caused her to stick her tongue out at him. And while the action surprised him, Marcus was glad she was teasing him and treating him as if he was her friend. He had been very nervous at first that she would be too nervous to speak to him, and that he would have to rely on the bonds pull to get her to spend time with him. But so far she seemed to unafraid and that relieved him greatly.

"What is your family like?"

Castiel froze at the question. She wasn't expecting him to be asking her about her life. She couldn't see why he would care. What she was expecting him to ask were questions about her gift since this seemed to be the only reason she was even given the option to live in the first place.

Marcus noticed the way her expression fell, and couldn't inquire as to what was wrong before she shook her head at him.

"I'm sorry… but why do you care?" Her tone sounded a little bit hurt, and he worried that he had asked something that she wasn't ready to talk about, "Do you take this much interest in all the human that are brought here?"

Gauging her expression, he knew that the best course here was honesty.

"No. I honestly can say that I never express this much interest in any humans brought here, whether they are meant to be guards, or company, or…"

He trailed off, and Castiel knew that the ending to that sentence was food.

"I care because I can honestly say that the way we went about bringing you here is not common for us. We do not kidnap people to acquire gifts or power contrary to popular belief. Since the moment I heard of you and the plan to bring you here for questioning I was against it. My brother felt as though you should be given the option to join us rather than send a guard out to-,"

He stopped again, and Castiel finished his statement in a solemn tone. "Kill me?"

Marcus winced, and the expression of pain that crossed his face at her words was a shock to her. He cared… and he wasn't lying to her when he said he cared.

"I felt as if you should have a choice. I didn't think it was fair for us to hurt you and your family the way I knew we were going to. I didn't need my gift to remind me that splitting people apart like this is wrong. I really am, so sorry, for all the wrong that has been done to you sweet one."

At his term of endearment Castiel felt her ears go warm and, trying to hide the light blush that had spread across her cheeks, she looked away staring back into the fire.

Of course, Marcus didn't miss her blush. He had been spending the better half of the hour memorizing her scent and heartbeat with the utmost care. He was sure he could pick her out in a crowd from miles away.

"You have a gift too?"

Smiling at her inquiry Marcus nodded, fine with ending their game of twenty questions if it meant she would feel more at ease talking to him and asking the questions she needed answers to.

And so they talked. Castiel and Marcus spoke for hours and he found out much about his little mate. She had only two people – well humans – in the world that really mattered to her; these two people being her father and her best friend Trent. She spoke with a voice full of pride about her father, of all he sacrificed for her and all about the life of a single dad just trying to care for his daughter and moving from military base to military base.

She had met Trent when she was barely a teenager at a funeral for one of her father's fallen brothers. The funeral was for Trent's father and while Castiel's dad was comforting his friend's widow, Trent and Castiel had met. Apparently when she had introduced herself to Trent, one of Trent's father's best friends had crashed the funeral blazing drunk – obviously unable to handle the death of his friend in a more appropriate manner – and had run into Castiel. Luckily for her though, Trent grabbed her before she could fall backwards and crack her head on one of the marble tombstones in the graveyard.

They had been friends ever since, and according to Castiel not a day went by that Trent didn't remind her she owed him a lifetime of servitude for "saving her life".

Marcus had explained his gift to her as well, explaining how it worked and how when he would get really absorbed he would "space out". He was surprised when this seemed to make her happy, and she explained that she got like that as well. Whenever she had visions she had he tendency to zone out and she also said she had to be careful not to hold anything, because she always unconsciously tightened her grip whenever she was slipping into a deeper foresight and into the visions where she prophesized things that were going to happen.

Castiel also had a lot of fun when Marcus brought out a coin, saying that he was going to flip it twenty times and he wanted to know beforehand what side it was going to land on.

She got every single one right much to his surprise and teased that he'd have to give her something more challenging in the future.

The future. The very fact she planned to spend time with him again was enough to make his heart soar, and he promised he'd come up with something.

But she surprised him, yet again, when she asked if she could tell him something and if he would promise not to judge her if she did.

He tried to put as much conviction in his words as possible when he assured her that there wasn't anything she could say that would make him think badly of her, and she sighed before speaking in a rush.

"I feel guilty because after talking to you," She made a motion with her hands, as if referencing the last few hours they had been speaking, "I don't feel... I don't feel like it's bad that I'm here? All my life… I've known there was something wrong with me. I was a weird kid with a weird name and a weird ability to see the future. A kid with a mother that never wanted her because she was… wrong… and here I am in a castle full of people – well vampires but you get my drift – who, for the most part, can do things that no one else can. I'm somewhere that I'm not… abnormal for the first time in my life."

"And I feel horrible for feeling this way because of my dad and Trent. They've lost me in the most terrible way possible and I've always said they were all I needed but-,"

Marcus stood suddenly, the action cutting her off. He could sense how worked up she was getting and knelt in front of her as he had earlier, so he was at her level.

"Dearest," he shook his head fondly, "Your feelings of belonging are nothing to be ashamed of. Believe me when I say there is no reason for this… guilt you seem to harbor."

And to his surprise, Castiel reached her hand out for his. He placed his palm in hers and felt as she grasped his fingers for comfort as she swallowed hard, choosing to keep her focus on their hands and not his face.

"There is nothing wrong with you Castiel. There has never been anything wrong with you, and if what you say is true… that your mother abandoned you because she though something was wrong with you well, I can only tell you how wrong she was for doing that."

"And," He continued, throwing caution to the wind, "I don't believe I'd be wrong if I said your father knew that too."

Her throat felt swollen, and she couldn't help the small smile that came onto her face despite the tears that were threatening to brim in her eyes. Marcus was right to mention her father because Castiel didn't really care what her mother thought of her for a very long time, and the reminder that her father loved her was not unwelcome.

So, they continued into more lighthearted conversations. Marcus told her a bit more about the castle and the city and what they had to offer. When he mentioned the castle's gardens and gymnasium, he could see those things interested her and made a mental note to take her to them. He did mention that they had a very fine pool, which was heated so if she ever wished to swim she was more than welcome, but she scrunched her nose at this and at his questioning look informed him that she didn't know how to swim.

Marcus couldn't help but send her a teasing look at that, as he was surprised that she had a Marine for a father and didn't know something as basic as swimming. He would have to teach her one day.

Afton interrupted them at that point and offered Castiel something for the chafed area around her eyes. He had apparently stepped out quickly to find Arkos while they were talking.

Castiel had trouble applying the cream to her eyes since she didn't have a mirror to see what she was doing, and her heart felt like it must have jumped into her throat when Marcus had come over and gently rubbed the medicine into a section near here cheek that she had missed.

Of course, she couldn't deny that Marcus was one fine specimen of a man. His hand was strong and steady when she had held it for comfort earlier, using it as an anchor to calm her hurt feelings and hold her to the present. And now, as he longed back in his chair with his long legs stretched out in front of him and his button up clearly defining his muscles by the dim light from the fire she had to focus on not staring.

The library lights had dimmed hours ago signaling nighttime, and the warm glow from the flames in the fire accented Marcus' fine features as he stared toward the hearth. Castiel hadn't even noticed that she was staring until Marcus looked toward her.

She wished briefly that a hole would open in the floor so she could fall in it, and blushed brighter than she had all day at being caught. But Marcus seemed not have noticed, since he merely gave her a small smile and asked about the books she liked to read.

But Marcus had noticed her staring even if he successfully pretended he hadn't so she wouldn't feel too embarrassed. It took everything he had not to purr in satisfaction at her obvious attraction to him. When a vampire purred, it was mean to show affection or to calm their mate. He wasn't sure he was ready to answer that line of questioning from his curious little imprint until she was aware of their bond.

While they were on the subject of books she liked, Castiel took her chance to bag on him about the dusty old books that he had stored in the rooms she was staying in. And Marcus took her roasting graciously, as he was glad that she merely teased him about his age and didn't seem bothered by it. He assured her that there were books in the library that she would find interest in and that just because they were old didn't mean they weren't good reads.

"I can't read anything that's not in English," She snorted, "So I think I'll stay away from your ancient stone slabs and read something more modern."

Grinning Marcus said "I can translate for you. I can even teach you Italian if you'd like. Or really, I can teach you any language you'd like… though Italian would benefit you the most since we are in Italy."

"How many languages do you know?" Castiel asked, surprised at his offer.

"I think it would be quicker for me to list the languages I don't know."

"Oh I am so going to have to pop that pride bubble of yours one day," Castiel teased "But I guess since vampires apparently have perfect memory or something learning new things must be easy?"

Marcus didn't miss how she seemed unsure in her statement, and inquired how much she knew about vampires. She seemed to know the basics. Speed, strength, immortality and prefect memory, but as Marcus began to go over the basics about vampires a little more deeply Castiel was surprised when she heard they didn't drink blood from their teeth but from their throat. The teeth were only to cut into the jugular, which is why most vampires found movies where vampires sucked blood through two pointed fangs very amusing.

He began to explain things a little better to her, even delving into vampire diets and the fact that there were vampires out there who drank from animals and therefor had gold eyes. She could tell from his tone that he didn't seem to support the diet, and when she asked why he better explained that it made them unstable. A vampire with a "vegetarian" diet was never truly satisfied since the blood of an animal couldn't quench their thirst.

Apparently the Volturi had even researched and experimented with the diet, and found that vegetarian's were only half as strong as the human drinking vampires. Marcus had even explained how if she were to cut herself, she would be in no danger do to the Volturi having a very strict rule that all their coven members had to have exceptional control.

While on the subject of vampires Castiel couldn't help but ask if they ever needed to use the bathroom. The question amused Marcus greatly, but he did inform her that since being a vampire meant one had a strictly liquid diet and therefor never had to poop, vampires still needed to urinate.

She was so curious, and Marcus knew that over the years her curiosity was destined to get her into trouble at some point. But this would only make it so he would have to be more attentive of her whereabouts and more readily on the defensive.

Suddenly, a clock chimed loudly making Castiel jump in her seat and her heart begin to race. She looked around for the source of the chiming but couldn't see it due to the fact it was coming from the clock tower in the square of Volterra.

"It's only the clock tower," Marcus assured her "It's midnight."

"Midnight?" Castiel repeated incredulously, and at his nod she sighed before standing.

"I should probably get to bed then I guess…" She didn't feel very tired, but if she ever planned on having a normal sleep schedule again she'd have to go to sleep very soon. "The jet lag and the whole time change differences have thrown me off a bit."

Marcus nodded in understanding, doing his best not to show his disappointment at her leaving. He hadn't felt so at peace in a long time and he simply wasn't ready for her to go. So many more questions were buzzing around in his mind as Afton walked over with Chelsea, smiling at the two of them as he took place next to Castiel to lead her to her room.

Before Marcus could bid her farewell, Castiel smiled gently at him. She wanted to give him a hug goodbye, as she greatly preferred hugs to handshakes, but she wasn't sure it was appropriate and just asked the first thing that came to mind, completely unabashed by their audience.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" She had a very good time talking with Marcus over the last well, six to eight hours, and found herself hoping she could spend more time with him.

Marcus couldn't help the hopeful feeling bubbling up in his chest. "Of course." He promised, even though he knew in the back of his mind that he was in court the next day. He only hoped his brothers wouldn't be too upset with him for skiving off on them.

"Would you mind some company?" Her smile was bright and happy, and Marcus knew that if she always looked at him like that he would never be able to deny her anything.

"I would love some."

"Okay," Castiel couldn't dismiss the smile on her face, "Well… I'll see you tomorrow." And throwing caution to the wind, not caring if what she was doing was appropriate or not, she jumped forward to hug him quickly around the middle.

Afton and Chelsea tried not to laugh at Marcus surprised expression. Afton even went as far as to give his Master a thumbs up behind Castiel's back when he regained enough of his sense to return the hug and gave her a light squeeze around the shoulders.

And with that Castiel stepped back from their embrace, her cheeks now a light pink from her blush and making a very appealing contrast to her fair skin and her red velvet colored hair.

So with a small smile at his imprint and her guard, the duo left Marcus alone to stand with Chelsea, and at the strange but endearing smile the woman had left Marcus unable to avoid asking what she was thinking.

Chelsea merely shrugged at him before going to grab the jacket Castiel had left on the chair. "Oh nothing. I was just thinking about how perfect she is for you."

Yes, Marcus internally agreed, she is perfect.


Revised January 19th, 2021

(20 Pages, 8,703 Words)