I wanted a chapter out before the new year, so here one is! A 2,700-word chapter that I somehow managed to pull out of my arse in under 3 hours
My Darling Dearest Cousin
Australia was beautiful. Unluckily, due to unfortunate circumstances, we had to move on early.
You should know better than to underestimate me, even without Alice, my coven can still outsmart your little guard.
How are you and your mates? Are you still locked up in that tower of yours? You underestimated their possessiveness, didn't you Lucian.
Bella
Lucian chuckled nervously into Caius' chest, trying to push away even the slightest bit, but his hold was relentless.
" You know, ending up in the arms of one of the vampire kings was not on my to-do list. You've thoroughly highered my expectations for visiting foreign countries." He got a dark chuckle in return, Caius' arms gripping him tighter.
"I'm glad I have left a good first impression on you." He whispered into his ear. Lucian squirmed, uncomfortable with the close proximity to his neck, eyes sharpening as he sent a bolt of electric into Caius.
Caius took a step back, surprise and amusement clear to see in his gaze. " You're gifted? How wonderful." He murmured, glaring at Aro when he placed a hand on his arm.
" Not gifted, he's a witch. And a powerful one at that. Isn't that just exquisite!" Ah, there was Aro's charming facade. He was obviously aiming to leave a good impression on their mate. After how they'd acted to the boy's family, it was no wonder that he didn't realise that they were his mates.
Vampires could immediately sense who their mates were, due to their enhanced senses, but witches had to reach out with their magic to any suspected mate to confirm it.
" Yes." He startled at the mutter behind him, turning around with his hands outstretched as if to shove the person away. In reality, he'd gathered raw magic in his hands to give out a nasty hit if needed.
" Why am I here? You let my cousin and her friends go, but kept me here. Why?" He questioned, warily watching as the guard seemed to shuffle in excitement. " I'm not going to join your guard, so you can forget it if that's what you wanted." What he was not expecting was for the three of them to chuckle.
" No, my dearest, we don't want you to join our guard, although you would have been a fine addition. Stretch out your magic, and you'll see why for yourself." Aro gestured to himself and the other two as if inviting him to try.
Lucian's eyes widened at the implications of that sentence, eagerly expanding his magic to sense them. He didn't care if they were the ruthless kings of the vampire world, they were potential mates, and he would accept them nonetheless.
He really didn't expect for this to happen.
" Your... my mates? How- no, it doesn't matter. Wow, I didn't expect there to be three off you." He chuckles die off uncertainly as he looks into their adoring eyes. Lucian clears his throat, a shy blush dusting his cheeks. " Well, you could have just said so when the others were here. That way, I wouldn't now have to make my way back to Forks on my own."
" Oh, but you're not going back to Forks, my dear. Don't you want to stay here with us?" Aro grimaced at the thought of his mate being so unprotected, so far away. Caius growled as if he could read his thoughts-and not the other way around.
" You are not leaving! I will not allow you to go! After 4000 years, I am not letting you out of my sight, let alone go off to another continent!" Caius yelled, earning a sharp glare from an irritated Lucian.
" You have no right to say that. My family is there, and I will go and say a proper goodbye to them, whether you like it or not!" By the end of his sentence, he was also shouting, having gotten closer to a visibly irritated Caius. He opened his mouth to retaliate but was stopped by Marcus.
" That should be fine. We will allow you to say your farewells to your family. But, we shall send a few of our guard to accompany, That'll surely ease our minds about your safety. Does that satisfy you, Caius?"
" No." A look from Lucian soon changed his mind. With gritted teeth, he answered a sharp " Yes." growling under his breath. His ire was slightly abated by the wide grin from his mate, softening his cold heart.
" Stay for as long as you like there, my dear, but please, hurry back as soon as possible. It'll hurt all of us for you to linger there for a lengthy time." Aro added, earning an agreeing nod from Lucian.
" But-" Caius uncertainly looks at Lucian, who urges him on. " Could you perhaps stay here for a bit? I, and my brothers, would love to get to know you." Lucian bites his lip in consideration, not noticing how this action makes the kings' eyes darken with lust.
" Yes, I suppose that's doable. I'll stay until the first of April. I'll need to return then, there will be a lot happening in Forks after that, and I don't want to miss it, you see." He explained to them.
" Then, since we have a limited amount of time, would you allow me to show you around?" Marcus holds out his hand in offering, smirking slightly at the jealous looks he receives from the others when Lucian accepts.
He leads Lucian to a side door to the right of the thrones, letting him through first. They find themselves in a stone corridor, and Marcus leads them down until they reach a set of oak doors. " This is my pride and joy, my library. In here, you'll find any book you could ever desire. I hope that this is an acceptable first stop?" His eyes twinkle in delight at the happy nod he receives back, watching as his young mate admires the filled shelves. He worries when he stops in his tracks suddenly, flashing over to see if he is alright, only to be met with a dazzling smile.
" You have a whole bookcase of ancient grimoires! What you need them for, I have no idea, but I'm not objecting to it." He eagerly grabs for one, gasping at the weight of it but waving away Marcus' worrying hands. He drops it on one of the tables with a thud, coughing at the dust. " Wow, this hasn't been opened in a long time, huh?"
" As you've said, I have no use for grimoires. But I still collected them, in case one of our future members had a use for them. I'm glad that they can now be put to good use." He watches on as Lucian absorbs their contents readily, a fond smile tugging at his lips.
He'd waited thousands of years for this moment, and it didn't disappoint. His mate was a perfect match for them all.
Days passed like this, with Lucian spending every possible moment in the kings' presence. He wasn't allowed to oversee the trials that they dealt with, but once they were over, he sat in the throne room with them, discussing odd things that filled the time.
But soon, his time with them came to an end. He almost wanted to cancel the flight to stay with them a while longer, but he knew that his return was inevitable. Besides, he'd be with them for eternity once the year was over.
" Caius, if you hold me any closer, we might just combine." Lucian chuckled, earning a snort from his clingiest mate. He hadn't expected it, not from the so-called 'ruthless king' but he wasn't complaining. It was endearing in all honesty.
" Good, then you'll never be able to do something as stupid as to leave us." He grumbled back, frowning at the chuckles he gained.
" Okay, I know you don't like it, but I'll be back before you know it. Besides, what're a few months when we'll have an eternity together after?"
" And these few months are going to be the worst of my long life. Just knowing that you're out there but out of my reach is torture. I don't suppose I can convince you to stay?"
" No, Caius. I've told you before that I want to watch all the drama that'll be going down in Forks in the next few months. I'll make sure to recite to you every single last embarrassing thing that they do in my presence, okay?" Caius grumbles a bit, but nods in affirmation. " Good, now let me go, I still need to say goodbye to the other two."
He reluctantly releases his firm hold, allowing Lucian to bolt towards an awaiting Marcus. He snuggles in his chest, taking in a deep breath of his scent. " You better take good care of Sage for me while I'm away, alright?"
" Yes, my sweet, your cat will be just fine. Do not fret, I know how to look after animals." He reassures him, earning a sweet smile. Lucian squeezes him into a tighter hug, Marcus not daring to return it in fear that he'd harm him.
He let him go, shoving him lightly in the direction of his final mate, who was watching on serenely. Aro smiled gleefully as his arms became full, resting his head atop his mate and letting out an unneeded sigh of contentment.
" My darling, I'll miss you greatly. Return as soon as you can, but do not rush yourself. I am content to leave you in the care of our chosen guards as I believe that they will protect you well. As well as can possibly be while you are not In our care. Remember, the Cullen's do not know about these guards, neither do the rest of the vampire world, so they will not reveal their prowess unless need be. Unfortunately, if they do, those in the vicinity will need to be silenced." He told him gravely, content at the sullen nod he received.
" Yes, but I do not think that any situation we encounter will need them to reveal their powers." Lucian sternly added, looking at the three in warning. He hoped that they didn't ever show their true power in front of the Cullen's, since he was rather fond of the rag-tag coven.
They bowed their heads, understanding what his look meant. They would serve their master, their new friend, in any way that he wanted.
Lucian finally let go, allowing himself to be helped into the car. He smiled, giving his last few goodbye's to the guard behind before he headed for the airport.
He didn't want to leave, but it was for the best that he did.
Lucian arrived in Forks later that night, welcomed eagerly by a delighted Charlie, and a relieved Bella.
" Oh Lucian, when Edward told me that you were staying there, I was thinking the worst. I'm so glad that you're safe!" They may not be the closest of cousin's, but they weren't heartless towards one another. The thought that Lucian could have died made Bella realise how precarious their existence was in the vampire world, hers more than his. She wanted desperately to become a vampire, and soon.
" Thank you for your concern, but I was safe. Probably the safest I've ever been, honestly."
" How can you say that! You were in a different continent, surrounded by bloodthirsty vampires, how could you ever have felt safe!"
" Bella, you also stay with a group on vampires, ones who probably have less control around open wounds than the ones in Volterra." He calmly responded, not that It got through to her, as she still ranted about them for a few more hours.
He rolled his eyes, already regretting returning.
The next day
Lucian met up with the full Cullen coven for the first time in months the next day, joined by his three guards, Mykola, Liliya and Alois.
Mykola was older than his three kings, much older at a staggering four thousand six hundred and ninety-one years old, making him the oldest member of the Volturi. He was from Ancient Greece and had joined the Volturi only a few centuries ago. But, he had swiftly proved his worth, ending up as the Head Guard of the Volturi coven. He was tall, standing at around 6'5, and had long black hair hed in a long ponytail. His power over gravity gave him a deadly edge in a fight, able to squash an enemy flat with it if need be.
Liliya, while younger than Mykola, was still at an impressive age of three thousand nine hundred and thirteen. She had joined the Volturi shortly after they had come to power, and was kept a secret in case of another uprising. By her fellow guard, she was dubbed the ice princess of the Volturi, due to her cold-natured power over ice, snowy-white hair and close friendship with Marcus. Originally from Bulgaria, she still held a slight accent due to not wanting to lose her origins. She was very tall for a woman, standing 6'2 in height without her boots, towering over most of the guard bar a few with them on.
Alois was the youngest of the trio, compared to them his age was measly at one thousand two hundred and fifty. He made up for that by owning maybe the most treasured of gifts, the gift of persuasion. No matter if the vampire had powerful shields, if he used his power, the vampire would comply with his demands. Nothing could block it. Originally from France, he'd occasionally try to teach Lucian the language, but they had so far made little progress. At 5'10, he was also the shortest out of the three, a fact that greatly irked him. With his fiery red hair, on the battlefield, Caius fondly described him as his ' hot-headed warrior', a nickname which Alois carried with pride.
It confused Lucian immensely how he'd never heard of such strong vampires in the books, but it made sense for there to be guards that he didn't know of.
The guards themselves didn't enjoy that their master was in the company of these 'vegetarians', but did not dare to state their opinions. They would tolerate their proximity as long as they were respectful towards Lucian, no matter what taunts were sent their way.
" I can't believe you brought back these filthy bloodsuckers! Lucian, how can you sit so calmly in their revolting presence?" Bella shrieked at him as he sat comfortably on one of the couches, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
" Bella, may I once again remind you that the Cullen's also drink blood." He retorted, smiling at the way Alois' lips slightly twitched in amusement.
" Yeah, but not human blood! I refuse to be in their presence!"
" Then you can leave. Unlike you, I have things of importance to discuss with the Cullens. Go, Runoff with your boyfriend, cousin, this doesn't concern you unless you want it to." He drawled back, smirking slightly at her put of expression from being denied.
" I also don't want them here, Carlisle. Their stench is making the house stink." Edward scrunched his nose theatrically, earning a mocking smile from Liliya.
" Then, as my master has already said, you can leave. We are needed here to protect him at our king's orders, and he has business with your coven leader. Unless he himself orders us away, we will not leave." She cooly answered, raising an eyebrow to show her disinterest as Edward growled at her. " Mr Cullen, please control your... child. He is acting so like an out of control newborn it's most unbecoming of a century-old vampire."
" Edward, why don't you take Bella on a walk, I can handle it here. Go on." He stiffly smiled, uncomfortable in the presence of the trio who even he had never met. He wasn't sure who they were, and couldn't gauge how old they were, feeling on edge from all the uncertainty. He watched as Edward left with Bella in tow, feeling relief that his most impulsive had left. " Now, what is it that you wish to discuss, Lucian?"