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Edward Cullen had been spotted lurking nearby. Although London was not technically close, Rome was, and the boy had been sighted in both places. It unnerved Aro enough to pace while they waited for Marcus to return with their mate. He had even had a brief conversation with Carlisle, who reported that Edward was "not taking it well." By "it" he meant the news of his girlfriend's new status as mate to the leaders of the ruling coven. According to Carlisle, he had gone abroad to mourn his losses, but Caius didn't believe it for a second. Neither did Aro. In spite of his documented soft spot for Carlisle Cullen, Aro had issued a strict warning; control the brat or they would.

Carlisle issued false assurances that he would collect his "son" if he came to call, but Aro was firm. Keep the boy away, or he would face the consequences.

It made Caius' venom boil that Edward fucking Cullen was even still alive after treating their mate so abysmally, but he only had himself to blame. After all, he had elected not to kill the brat in Forks, lest it upset Bella. What had he been thinking?!

He feared that he would now pay the price. Caius watched Aro wear a path in the flagstone in front of the four thrones.

"There is nothing to suggest he is coming here," Caius found himself saying- and since when was he the voice of reason in these situations?! "Jane and Demetri are close by and have seen nothing of the whelp."

"Nevertheless," Aro said tightly, "I will feel better once she is back in the castle and under our protection."

Caius nodded, unable to disagree. He couldn't fault Aro for exercising an abundance of caution where Bella was concerned. The consequences of losing their mate, especially after waiting so long to find her, would be crippling to all three leaders. Marcus had been lost for so long over Didyme, and they were not even true mates!

As though thinking of Marcus had conjured him, the sound of an engine caught Caius's attention as it pulled into the underground garage. Murmurs from Santiago, who had been instructed to intercept their mate and brother as soon as they returned home, reached his sensitive hearing.

Bella's soft gasp could be heard as she absorbed this information, and a second later, Marcus had sped them both towards the tower. Aro and Caius were on their way, too.

Marcus was setting her gently down when both Caius and Aro rushed into the room. Her hair was slightly damp and smelled like the sea, combined with the scent of warm grass, and her usual soft aroma.

"Amore," Caius said, suddenly in her personal space. "Are you hurt?"

This time she didn't flinch at his sudden approach. She merely shook her head, although she seemed shaken by this news of her ex sniffing around. Caius would make sure she had nothing to be afraid of. If the animal drinker tried anything untoward, he would die. Slowly.

He could think of a thousand ways to kill the brat later but for now he needed to be close to Bella. He pulled her in close, wrapping her in the protective circle of his arms. She clutched him as well, burrowing her face in his chest. His still heart ached at the gesture, so full of familiarity and trust.

"I'm fine," she mumbled into his dress shirt. Her warmth made Caius shudder with relief, and he drew her even tighter to him.

"Caius," she breathed, rubbing her palm along his back in a soothing gesture. "I'm okay."

He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She was safe. That was all that mattered. He stroked her hair and tipped her head back so he could look at her, properly assessing her for any damage.

Bella looked up at him with wide, dark eyes, mirroring his own relief at being reunited.

Two days had been too long for them to be separated, never mind that they had spent time together, it hadn't been concentrated. The following day was for them, whether his brothers agreed or not. Although they had all agreed to share, and to play fair, it was not without its challenges and it was Caius's fucking turn.

Speaking of taking turns, Aro had appeared behind Bella, and was extracting her from Caius's grip so he too could assess her for harm.

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"I'm fine," she echoed, and it felt as though she was drowning in Aro's gaze.

His ruby colored eyes swept over her, checking her for injury or damage of any kind. They were all so terrified at the thought of something happening to her that it was almost tangible. Bella thought she could cut the tension with a knife if she wanted to.

"Carina," he breathed, his spicy, rich scent washing over her, making her feel lightheaded. "I was so worried."

"It's okay," she said softly. "I'm here."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then to the bridge of her nose. Her cheeks were next, followed by her lips. She melted into the kiss, not caring that her other mates were looking on with combined stares of jealousy and relief. Kissing Aro and Marcus, while equally intense, was a vastly different experience. Marcus was reverent, as though he couldn't quite believe she existed. Like she might vanish into the ether if he blinked. Aro, by contrast, needed to be in control.

He was a man possessed when he kissed her. He asserted himself, fully dominating her mouth and leading Bella to darker fantasies about what it would be like to do more than just kissing. Everything and everyone faded away, quietly slipping from her mind as Aro hungrily possessed her mouth. She felt powerless to stop- and why would she want to?

Marcus made an impatient noise, drawing her back to the present. Aro shot him a furious look, a low growl forming somewhere in his chest.

"Perhaps you would like to enlighten us as to what has happened in our absence before you ravish our mate," Marcus suggested archly.

Aro's eyes were black and he seemed to be warring with his own self-control, looking every inch a vampire. The Cullens had been so tame that it had been easy to forget that they were vampires at times. They had hidden their true nature from Bella and themselves, creating dangerous situations not only for their family but for the humans around them. She realized that it had never been about protecting humans and living in harmony with them, the platitudes that Edward had spouted, but about their own self-loathing. They hated what they were and played house, pretended, but ultimately their life was a house of cards. One slip or misstep blew the whole thing down.

Her focus shifted back to her mates now. Aro and Marcus were still in a staring contest, a battle of wills that she didn't fully understand, but had some idea of what was happening. Vampires were territorial and possessive, and Aro had been afraid. Afraid that Edward would do something to take her from him. That fear had been redirected into fury, which was now unfairly aimed at his brother.

Bella slid her hand in his and squeezed gently.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

His laser-focus on Marcus snapped like a rubber band, his eyes cutting to her.

"Edward was seen nearby, my love. It worried me," he rasped, his voice raw with emotion.

She knew as much already. The vampire who had greeted them in the garage had already told them so.

"Where?" she asked.

"London, and then Rome- too close, carina," he said. "Come. Let's go to my chambers and discuss this more."

She let him carry her, although it was really only a few short steps to the adjoining door that separated their quarters. It seemed to give him a measure of comfort in a situation where he felt powerless.

Aro set her gently down on the sofa and sat beside her, while the others followed closely behind and found their own seats. They were all close enough to reach out and touch her if they desired, which they did. Caius linked hands with her in a tender gesture that seemed at odds with his clenched jaw and dark eyes. They were concerned about Edward. Bella was nervous about what her ex might do as well. Three months ago, seeing Edward as a threat would have been ludicrous, but his recent behavior had shown her otherwise.

"Where is he now?"

It was Marcus who had spoken, his voice grim.

"I don't know," Aro responded tightly. "Demetri was dispatched as soon as we heard. With his gift, he should have no trouble ascertaining his whereabouts."

"What can Demetri do?" she asked. Bella still didn't know the various roles of the guard, but she understood that many, if not most, had an extrasensory gift that made them valuable in situations such as this.

"He's a tracker, amore," Aro explained. "Not unlike the nomad who left the scar on your wrist, only his gift is more powerful."

Reflexively, Bella looked down at the crescent shaped bite mark on her wrist. It was still cold to the touch and twinged painfully at odd times. She would never forget the pain of the venom where James had bitten her.

"Do you think he'll find him?" she said carefully.

She didn't want to spend her last days as a human looking over her shoulder, constantly on edge and worried that Edward would swoop in and ruin everything for her, but she didn't want him to die either.

"Yes," Caius replied, curling his fingers even tighter around hers. "Demetri is very good at what he does, but don't tell him I said so."

Aro nodded, slipping his hand into her free one, seeking contact. Bella felt the effects instantaneously- a shiver traveling up her arm and to the other parts of her body.

"And what will happen to him?" she said softly.

"I will read his thoughts," Aro declared. "If he can be reasoned with, we will detain him until you are changed. But if he is still determined to take you from us…"

Bella shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It likely will not come to that," Marcus said, suddenly kneeling in front of her, putting them at eye level. "We will try everything else first, angel."

She couldn't believe the rest of his family was allowing Edward to provoke the Volturi this way. Even Jasper, who she gathered had a violent beginning to his second life, was leery of them. If Edward was indeed trying to get close enough to abscond with the mate of the three kings, Esme must be beside herself.

"Can't Carlisle talk to him?" she asked thickly, trying not to cry. "Make him see reason-"

"I spoke with Carlisle while you were out, carina," Aro said gently. "I think he will try to do just that. Let us see what happens before we borrow trouble, hmm? The important thing is that you are here now."

"We will keep you safe," Caius swore in a low voice. "He won't come near you."

She hoped he was right. Bella didn't distrust their ability to keep her protected, it was Edward she didn't trust. His ability to read the minds of everyone but her left her feeling uneasy, too. If he could use his gift to skirt around the guards and her mates…

Her apprehension must have shown, for Marcus brushed his fingertips along her jawline.

"He won't get within a mile of the city without us knowing," he said firmly. "We've been protecting our coven for many years. Even gifted vampires such as young Edward have been thwarted by our guard."

That was comforting at least. Edward couldn't have been the only talented vampire to ever go against the Volturi. But still, Bella knew only too well how vehemently opposed he had been to her becoming like him.

"Why does he even care so much?" she asked, embarrassed to be on the verge of tears again. "I mean, we're not even mates…"

"He is obsessed with you," Aro admitted in a low voice. "I saw it in his mind… He has distorted his feelings into believing that he is in love, but he loathes his vampirism and projects it onto you because you are his singer. On a very basic level, he wants to prove to himself that he can resist your blood, even though it appeals to him so much. He has spun himself a web of lies about humanity and souls, but in truth, he is deeply in denial."

"And you let him take her from us," Caius snapped, no longer able to control his temper. He punctuated his statement by slamming his open palm against an end table with a marble top, which broke clean in two.

Bella jumped back, startled by his outburst. Caius's eyes were black and focused furiously on Aro, who glared back at him.

"I hardly think this is the time to point fingers, Caius," Aro said with a pointed look at Bella.

"Really?" Caius sneered. "I think it's the perfect time! She should know how badly you almost blundered this! You knew he was out of his mind, and you let her leave with him-"

"The seer showed me a very clear vision, several in fact, which showed our mate coming back to us. In case you haven't noticed, she was right," Aro retorted.

Caius growled in response, making a shiver go down Bella's spine.

"Arguing will solve nothing," Marcus cut in as he extracted Bella from her position, seated between her arguing mates. "What's done is done. We must face new challenges as they come- although I do agree with Caius on this one, Aro."

Marcus tucked her into his side on a love seat, while Aro glared daggers at him. He hated it when his authority was undermined, she thought. It was clear that he considered himself the first among equals here, and she could see why. The majority of the decision making was left to him, but in this, where their shared mate was concerned, he was on equal footing with his brothers. They must have been furious (Bella knew if their positions were swapped she would be) that Aro had withheld this information when she left Volterra with Edward and Alice.

Marcus must have seen some of her inner dialogue mirrored in her expression.

"What is it, amore," he asked. "Did you want to add something?"

She hesitated, not wanting to take sides or interject in their argument.

"Please tell us," he urged. "Remember what we discussed about communication..."

He gently squeezed her fingertips, silently urging her to say what she was thinking. Even Caius had stopped growling, watching her intently. She sighed. Marcus was right, she would need to communicate, especially on important topics like decision making informed consent.

"I'm not angry," she said slowly, looking at Aro. "We've already discussed this a little, so I don't want to beat a dead horse, but we need to make decisions together going forward."

Aro nodded, unable to refute her statement, but unwilling to admit just how badly he had almost bungled finding their true mate.

"We will," he said after a pregnant pause. "Amore-"

Bella shook her head, cutting him off. She didn't need (or want) him to grovel. She could see that he understood he had made a mistake.

"I just want to be consulted about my own safety," she said softly. "I don't want decisions made for me- unless it's an emergency, of course."

"There won't be any emergencies," Caius growled, and then to Aro, "We should change her tonight-"

"Caius," Marcus said, drawing the blonde's attention. "That is Isabella's decision, don't you agree?"

He looked at her and Bella could see the stress and agony written in the angry lines of his face. Caius hated being afraid or feeling vulnerable- she could feel just how much through their bond. She didn't disagree that she should be changed, and soon, but there were a few things she wanted to do first.

"He's not wrong," Bella said, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She still felt the saltwater, now dry on her skin. As soon as this conversation was over, she was having a bath. "But there are a couple of things I need to do first."

"Anything," Caius vowed, his anger deflating some.

"I want to call Jacob," she said, watching the three vampires to gauge their reaction. When they didn't object she added, this time looking at Caius, "And I want to go on our date."

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