Aro sat at his desk, chin rested against his clasped hands as he watched his fair haired brother pace along the fine, hand weaved rug before him, his rage at full throttle as he growled and snarled, sending venomous glares towards the raven haired ancient. Marcus was sat beside the fireplace, staring into the flames as his face sat in an unreadable expression, his eyes glinting with his own anger as he drummed his fingers against the armrest of the antique two-seater sofa in an attempt to suppress his growing agitation. Occasionally, Aro would send slight glances towards the solitary picture frame that sat upon his desk, his chest tightening at the sight of Felicity, her image smiling back at him from the confines of the frame.
The picture had been taken during the winter, not long after she had turned eighteen, and the snow had been particularly heavy that year. She wore a red and black, vintage style, woollen coat with matching red gloves and a red, burette style, woollen hat as she stood between the three brothers, Marcus behind her with his hands placed gently against her shoulders, Aro stood to her left as his hand brushed a small strand of her golden locks behind her ear, away from her eyes, and Caius stood to her right as he sent a small glance towards the petite woman between them all. She was smiling brightly for the camera as Felix took the picture, eyes gleaming with happiness and completely oblivious to how the three brothers were looking at her. Their eyes shone with the longing they felt towards her, their smiles loving and content to have the chance to be so close to her for that brief moment.
"You take risks where they should not be taken, brother!"
Aro's attention was forced away from the memories of the photograph and back towards Caius, realising that he had come closer to his desk and slammed his hands down against the hard wood surface, the force splintering the hand carved mahogany slightly. Caius looked livid as the two stared at each other, Aro knew full well what his brother was referring too but chose not to defend himself just yet, he could see that Caius was not quite finished speaking.
"If Felicity were to discover the true reason for your appointment of Miss Valerious within the coven, not only would your own bond towards her be damaged but, by informing myself and Marcus of your scheme, our own bonds with her would be affected!"
"You make it seem as if I have given little consideration to the consequences of my decisions. Believe me, brother, that is not the case. And do not pretend that you do not wish to hasten the progress of her realising the true nature of her feelings towards us."
Caius could feel the red veil swiftly coming over his mind as his anger continued to scale towards new heights. How could his brother, who usually seemed so logical in the layout of his plans, believe that this was the best course of action? He was about to snarl a reply, only to be silenced as Marcus chose that moment to speak, refusing to turn towards them as his eyes glazed over, watching the bonds of himself and his brothers as they weaved around each other, stretching towards Felicity's soul as her own bonds screamed desperately to reach their own and complete the connection, to accept and return the feelings that the brothers felt towards her, seemingly blocked by an invisible barrier as they fought to break free.
"She has never asked for much from us Aro, even as a child. Even after the truth of her mother's death, she gives her trust too us without question, allows you to read her thoughts when asked too without protest of her privacy. The only thing that she has ever refused to allow is your use of Chelsea's power to manipulate her feelings towards others, wanting to keep true to her heart in such matters and have her loyalties towards the coven and ourselves remain as they are. strong and pure. Yet you have brought in this woman to deceive her? I hope for your sake, as well as my own and Caius', that she never discovers your deception"
Marcus fell silent once more as Aro stared at his back, a frown coming to his lips as he thought on what his brother had said. It was too late to reverse his decision, knowing that the removal of Roxanne would bring about too many questions from Felicity, that if they chose to kill her and put an end to her involvement then they would only hurt Felicity with the loss of her new found friend. He could only hope that Miss Valerious would accomplish her task swiftly, before any damage could really be done. His thoughts were cut short as a gentle knock came from the door of his office, opening carefully to reveal Felicity. She was smiling warmly as she met the eyes of each brother, moving to stand within the office as the door shut quietly behind her.
Each brother winced slightly at the pain of their chests tightening at the sight of her, unable to remove their eyes from her as they took in the sight of her attire. The shorts clung to the luscious curve of her hips, exposing the pale, smooth, perfection of her thighs whilst the dark, small heeled, suede boots reached up to her knees. She wore a loose fitting, white silk, sleeveless shirt that fluttered and danced around her slender waist with a simple silver locket around her throat, a gift from Marcus. Her hair fell free around her shoulders, brushing against the skin with her movements, and a very small amount of pale pink lip gloss on her cupid bow lips.
"Mia Amore, what brings you too us on your day off?"
Marcus' words were strained slightly as she turned her attention to him fully, her eyes dancing with life and her smile only seeming to grow at the sight of him. He would never deny that he craved for her to open her eyes to the truth of her connection with himself and his brothers, that he longed to be able to hold her too him, beyond the brief touches of his hand against her own, without fear that she would reject him.
"I'm going into town for a few hours, I just wanted to let you know so that you didn't worry"
How could she believe that they would not worry for her simply because she had told them where she would be going? They worried for her constantly when they could not have her by their side. Caius flitted towards her, towering above her as he stood in front, a mock scowl on his lips as she raised a single eye brow up at him and folded her arms across her chest. From this angle, he could see a small section of the swell of her breasts, a sight that forced him to swallow back the venom pooling within his mouth with the growing desire he felt towards the little blond.
"And what could you possibly need from town? I think that I would prefer to keep you here, locked away with us for the entirety of the day"
"I'm sure you would Caius, but I have some essentials that I am in desperate need of and today is my only opportunity to collect them"
Her lips quirked into a smirk as he gave a slight sniff of annoyance at her swift excuse to leave the castle. The truth was that she merely wanted a few hours away from the castle to clear her addled thoughts, gain clarity over the jumbled questions that had begun to surface within her mind since the night before when she had been sat with Roxanne in her room. How did she really feel towards these three? She knew that she loved and cared for them dearly, but what was the real nature of those feelings? were they as innocent as she had previously thought or was there something more to them?
She gave a soft sigh as she noticed that Caius was still sulking slightly, placing her hand gently against his forearm to gain his attention as she looked up into his face, feeling her heart skip a beat when his ruby orbs met her own sapphire blue ones.
"But I was wondering, if the three of you aren't busy tonight, when I get back from town if you would like to spend a little time together, watching a movie with me at about 9 PM?"
She could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks at her own request, feeling the eyes of all three of the brothers on her as they stared at her in shock for a moment before Aro broke the silence.
"Are you sure dearest? You usually prefer to spend your day off alone?"
She frowned slightly at his words, noticing the genuine hint of hurt in his voice at the mention of her usual attempts to avoid he and his brothers on her one day off a week. It was nothing against them personally, it was just that she was usually so tired after having to do the added work of correcting all of Gianna's mistakes as well as her own paperwork, that she often just locked herself away in her room to recuperate and prepare for a fresh week of juggling her work load and the time she spent with the brothers. But today was different, thanks to Roxanne's help in getting on top of everything, Felicity found that she had been able to get a decent night's sleep every day since the arrival of the red head, and that she really did want to spend a little quality time with the brothers without work getting in the way.
"I just thought it might be nice to spend time with the three of you. Before Roxanne joined the staff, I was bogged down with work and unable to find a spare moment. You know that I enjoy my time with each of you, but it's not often that I can be with you all... I won't be offended if you say no"
It was very rare that Felicity felt flustered or embarrassed around the brothers, but she could feel the blush burning hotter against her cheeks as they continued to look at her for a moment. The brothers could feel the warmth spreading within their beings, her desire to spend time with them when usually she would keep her distance a small sign in favour of keeping Roxanne for a short while longer. Clearly she was already having some form of affect on Felicity.
"We would like that very much, dearest"
Felicity hadn't even realised she was holding her breath in anticipation for their answer until she gave a slight exhale of breath, relieved, at Marcus' words. She gave a smile, bidding them all farewell before leaving the room to begin her journey into the little town of Volterra.
As the door closed behind her, Caius sent a fresh glare towards Aro, a conflicted glint in his eyes as he spoke.
"Know that I do not agree with your methods, brother. But, if Miss Valerious continues to show results such as this with her ability, then I shall tolerate your meddling... For now"
She gave a blissful sigh as she lowered her body into the oversized bathtub, the divine heat of the water washing over her skin as she sunk into its welcoming depths. She had returned early from her drive around the small town of Volterra, finding that it did nothing to help clear her mind of the questions that plagued her thoughts. If anything, it had only proven to create more conflicting ideas. What if, even if her feelings towards the three were more than she had believed, the brothers did not return them? Should she take a risk and say anything? The possible chance of rejection would be beyond humiliating. Did she even want to say anything when it could tarnish the relationship she already had with them?
She pushed the thoughts from her mind, deciding that she would prefer to just go with whatever fate decided for her rather than cause herself yet another headache with the troublesome questions, as she dipped her head beneath the water, coming back up and taking a gulp of air as she pushed her hair out of her face. It was only 7:45 PM, plenty of time to relax and set up the movie before the brothers arrived at 9 PM. She frowned as she thought of them, wishing that it were possible to spend more time alone with them without work forever getting in the way, maybe then she would be able to figure out her feelings.
She gave an aggravated huff of annoyance, finishing up in the tub before pulling herself out. Clearly this wasn't helping either as her mind began to fill with images of memories she had with Aro, Caius and Marcus. She dried herself briskly before wrapping the towel tightly around her, leaving the bathroom and padding towards her bedroom on the other side of her living quarters.
"Nothing makes any sense anymore"
Her words were forlorn as she pulled a pair of pyjamas from her set of draws, pulling on the pale blue shorts and tank top combo and moving back into the living room to set up the DVD. She'd chosen Les Miserable's for tonight, a musical she had greatly enjoyed when she had gone to see it a few years ago whilst it was being staged in Rome. Aro had treated her to the tickets, choosing a late night show so that he could accompany her, saying that he had been to see the original production and desired to see whether it was still as brilliant as he remembered. Although, he seemed to have spent more time paying attention to her rather than the actors on the stage.
"Mia Cara, apologies that we are early, but we heard your return and thought we'd come to see how your day had been"
She jumped slightly, almost dropping the disk as she spun towards the brothers. She hadn't even heard the door open or close, her thoughts too occupied with memories of Aro. They were staring at her, eyes scanning over the pyjamas she wore, drinking in the sight of her exposed arms and legs as she tried desperately not to show the slight embarrassment she felt beneath their stares.
"That's fine... I was just about to grab a glass of wine whilst the DVD loaded up"
Their eyes trailed behind her as she made her way into the kitchen, Caius letting a low growl pass his lips at how her hips gave a subtle sway with her step before turning his eyes towards Aro, the raven haired ancient still staring after her, a hungry look in his bloody red eyes as Marcus gave an un-needed clearing of his throat. She would never have exposed herself in such a manner before Roxanne had begun to manipulate her emotions.
"I believe that Miss Valerious is gaining favour with me"
Aro gave a slight sigh as the end credits of the movie began to role, careful not to allow Felicity to hear the slight exhale of unneeded breath. It had been a wonderfully scripted movie, the actors all brilliant in their own rights, but nothing would ever replace his love for the stage production of Les Miserable's.
During the entire movie, he and his brothers had found themselves more and more unable to pay attention to the screen as their eyes were drawn towards Felicity. Her eyes had been transfixed to the screen, unaware as she occasionally began to sing quietly along with the songs that she favoured, Aro noticing the tears that brimmed her eyes at the scene of Fantine's death.
"Mia Cara?..."
Marcus turned his eyes towards the young blond as he attempted to gain her attention, smiling gently as the sight of her met his eyes. She had chosen to sit with Caius, nestling herself against his side and resting her head against his shoulder as his hand moved to wrap around her side to allow her more comfort against him, blissfully unaware of the internal battle that raged within his mind that being so close to her presented, or the jealousy that his brothers felt at her choice to be close to him.
Her eyes were shut, long lashes flickering gently against the skin of her cheeks as dreamt, her breath coming out in short, shallow exhales between her slightly parted lips. She had fallen to sleep towards the end of the film, her hand having come up to rest gently against the spot that his heart had once beat. The fair haired king smiled slightly as he lifted her carefully into his arms, his brothers following behind as he moved to place her upon the soft satin sheets of her bed, watching for a moment as she turned against the fabric until she found a position that she felt comfortable in, a contented sigh passing her lips as she continued to sleep.
They knew that it was a highly risky decision to allow Roxanne to continue using her gift to manipulate Felicity's emotions, that discovery would more than likely destroy any chances they had of having Felicity return their feelings, but after almost seven years of waiting, they were beginning to realise that there was nothing they would not do to make her realise and accept the bond they all shared, nothing that they would not do to have their mate by their side.
So, I hope you all liked the update :) Let me know what you thought of it and I will hopefully have the next update up in a week. Thanks for showing your support for this story guys. Happy reading! x