Chapter Eight

When Marcus left for the time being, he had decided he would trust Demetri to take me back to Volterra in one piece.

The tall, Roman vampire who reminded me of an old Roman warrior that fought during Julius Caesar's time merely nodded his head to let him know he understood him. He didn't speak much but when he did it was because he either wanted to joke around to lighten the situation or go back into his warrior days as a commander of the Greek Army.

The taller and sturdier vampire that reminded me of Emmett and could have been on steroids if he were human was named Felix and he seemed put out on how he wasn't allowed to stay behind for the rest of the week to protect the last queen of the Volturi. Even though technically I was Marcus's second future queen and I was still human.

He had his arms folded against his chest and he even pouted, but despite the fact that he almost seemed as though he wanted to complain about the choice Marcus had made he knew better. He was acting his age, something that I didn't know was common for the burly vampire or if it was like Emmett and had a childish tendency to him.

The Cullens weren't too enthralled with the idea of hosting Demetri (well everyone except Carlisle, but that could have been because he had lived with the Volturi for two decades–before he would even transform Edward and become a coven).

Esme was nervous but she welcomed him warmly, after she received encouraging smiles from her beloved, allowing her to know that he was proud of her for doing this. She was a mother through and through, along with the perfect housewife/hostess. She wanted Demetri to feel welcomed a little bit, even though they all knew Demetri would not one hundred percent be welcomed in Forks.

In fact, it was the day before I would leave behind Charlie and the somewhat 'school friends' that I gained from the other teenagers at the high school. I sat with them every other day at school during lunch, and I socialized with them whenever they would come up to me.

I was surprised when I had woken up this morning to a brand new laptop that Marcus had Demetri give to me so I would remain in contact with the Cullens without them having to be in Volterra.

There was also the fact that I knew I could keep looking up Charlie on Facebook along with the other social media pages (what I meant by that, it was the town's law enforcement page on Facebook). I had forced Charlie to make a Facebook page a few years ago so I could keep in contact with him while I would be dealing with the immaturity of Renee.

Demetri popped up on my windowsill with an annoyed, exasperated look upon his handsome, dark skinned face. His crimson eyes are a stark contrast both to his skin and around the other vampires with golden eyes. He held no shame towards the diet his current hosts had, he had been alive long before their parents had given birth to them. He was over a millennium old, I believe.

He was muttering in Latin, a dialect I was not accustomed to hearing, then again I was certain most people weren't accustomed to hearing basically a dead language. I only knew Spanish but even then it wasn't that great, since I had a mediocre Spanish teacher in Phoenix. I was actually learning proper Spanish here in Forks but that wasn't going to last, I would be leaving tomorrow and I wouldn't take another class with Mrs. Goff.

He paused when he noticed me and bowed his head down, his hand in a fist and placed against his chest.

"My queen, I apologize. It seems as though the animal drinkers decided that they cannot trust me being here alone."

My eyes flickered towards the windowsill and was surprised when I saw Rosalie Hale being the one who had decided she would be the one who would watch over our whole conversation. She shot me a warm smile, an almost tinge of motherly, paternal love. I hadn't seen this kind of look from her before so I was even more surprised with the look she had given me.

I was both grateful that Rosalie was here but not at the same time. The same could be said about Demetri too. I held no opinion towards them, knowing that for Rosalie I would never truly become a Cullen and eventually be her sister through vampirism. I was destined to be with the mourning king of the Volturi, so that also meant Demetri would hold nothing more than a professional feeling towards me–a sworn guard to his sworn queen.

As though she sensed this, Rosalie came over and sat down at the end of my bed.

"As much as I detest the idea of even giving good feedback about the Volturi, I must admit that I have heard nothing more than wonderful things about your mate. He was the one that Carlisle spent the majority of times with, Aro was too consumed with trying to control Carlisle's diet, and Caius was too busy strengthening his title and reputation as the execution king."

"Other than his questionable reason to keep drinking animals rather than our natural diet, I saw nothing wrong with Carlisle. He holds the same bleeding heart as King Marcus does…."

"It would make sense they would have the most emotional bond with each other. Many mourned when Carlisle decided he would not take the role of the fourth king," Demetri spoke, his accent a perfect mixture of Greek and Italian–something that I was certain one didn't hear every day.

I didn't say anything towards this, since obviously I was an outsider looking in on the lives of the Volturi and the life of Carlisle.

I would not ask him to come with me to Volterra, the thought of him and Esme filling the roles of a king and queen actually made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't imagine poor Esme having to be a queen that would be locked in a tower because Marcus's first wife had been killed in an assassination that one of the oldest guards had orchestrated.

Rosalie stayed for a while, and Demetri often went into the woods around the neighborhood to study the scenery since this was probably going to be the only time he would stay in Forks for more than a few hours at most. He wouldn't have to stay for a few days to a week here ever again, because by the time the Cullens would come back to Forks for a third time (most likely at the earliest fifty years from now), I would be a vampire queen.

Eventually I was expecting for Demetri to be the one to pop up in the windowsill again, only for me to see Carlisle in his doctorate coat with that brimming smile upon his handsome features. The sunset was sending out a beautiful glow around him, lighting up both his hair but his eyes as he studied me and then the room around me. He hopped in, and Rosalie got up from the rocking chair that she had sat in for around thirty minutes.

"You can go back to the house, Rose. I'll be here with Bella and Demetri. I know that you and Emmett wanted to watch the latest episode of that car renovation show," Carlisle informed her, earning a nod from Rosalie. She came over to me and kissed me on the top of my head, holding me for a moment so she could just absorb the moment before she bounded away and went out the window sill without a sound to be heard.

"Is Barbie gone? Praise the Gods."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes as Demetri hopped into the bedroom with relief upon his handsome features. Carlisle brought one of his eyebrows up, in an arched manner, as though Demetri should know better. Demetri added, "She would have made a fine warrior in my time, but women weren't used for war in 1000 A.D when it came to Greece. I would rather not speak of war and women for the time period while in the presence of my future queen."

"My daughter is both a lover and a fighter, though she often decides she would rather be a fighter when it comes to anything or anyone who can cause harm to our family," Carlisle merely explained, not defending her but merely explaining how Rosalie was.

"The same can be said for our guard, Carlisle. You were a member of our family for two decades. Yet you are one of the kindest vampires I have seen," Demetri remarked, earning a sigh from Carlisle as he had a distant look upon his features, as though he was transported back to the time where he was a temporary king for the Volturi.

I dismissed them as they reminisced about the old days in Italy, for Carlisle was asking how everyone was doing. He made sure he was showing respect towards the monarchic coven, there was never something that would let me or Demetri know he hated the two decades that he had spent in the Volterra Castle along with the kings and those like Demetri in the highest up of the guards

Instead I spent the rest of the time getting my things together.

I would always love Charlie and especially Phil with how supportive he had been with the pregnancy and losing Avalyn. I was destined to finish high school here or even be an significant other for one of the Cullens though I would have been honored to be part of their family, instead I was meant to overpass a normal coven setting and end up in the monarchic coven where I would rule alongside three kings and two queens.

An hour before the sun was to rise it was time for me to leave.

Carlisle kissed me on the forehead in a fatherly manner, holding me for a moment. I knew this wasn't going to be the last time I would see Carlisle or the rest of the Cullens. Who would go and visit who was yet to be determined but I was an honorary Cullen for them and Carlisle was an honorary king in case he ever decided he would want to spend some time in the castle.

I hugged him back, while Demetri wordlessly gathered my suitcase of belongings I would not leave behind here. I wanted these little keepsakes with me so I could look back on them centuries from now, well maybe decades. Some of the things probably would get worn out before a century but they would be there for me no matter how long they would last.

A part of me was tempted to walk out of the bedroom and down the hallway to Charlie's bedroom.

I wanted to open his door and peer in on him. It was his day off, and when he would wake up he would be curious as to why I wasn't downstairs watching some television show or movie. Or at the very least be in the kitchen and shuffling things around so I would write down what we needed on a grocery list, maybe he'd even say he'd go to the grocery store with me.

I knew it was wrong for the both of us. I didn't need to linger any longer. This life wasn't meant for me anymore. I wasn't supposed to continue on here–I kept reminding myself, especially now that I was on the morning of departure from America to Italy.

Carlisle offered to help me out of the window without even having to ask the hunting guard whether he should or not, for he knew the answer.

Demetri shot a thankful look towards the doctor, there must be a rule that no guard should touch a queen. The only person who was allowed to touch one of the queens was their chosen king. Anyone else wasn't worthy enough to touch them, or else they would be severely punished.

I had been told by Alice after Marcus and the guard (excluding Demetri of course) left the Cullen Residence that I would be given an honorary name.

I didn't know what the other two queens were called, I had been told that Didyme was called The Allegria Queen (The Cheerfulness Queen due to the fact that she was able to make people feel happy). I was to be given the title of: The Queen of Profeta (The Queen of Prophet), which also would mention Alice foretelling the union of their Veiled/Mourning King with his second queen.

Aro was called The Onnisciente King, or 'The All-Knowing King', due to his gift of being able to read every thought a person had in one touch. Caius was the Executioner King, or the King of Morte (King of Death) because of the fact he was the one who always made sure those who were against the monarchy would end up being dead in the end.

"I will accompany you to the airport. I have no doubts about your position in the Volturi, Demetri. I remember the rule quite clearly and I know that you would not like to touch Bella, even if it couldn't be avoidable. I am probably the one who can touch Bella at all as a vampire and not end up being sent to trial," Carlisle informed us, earning a serious nod from Demetri. There was no look upon his features that let Carlisle know he was insulted at any time.

I couldn't help but find a large amount of fatigue to overcome me in the car, the new car smell along with the soothing mint that was a vampire's natural scent radiating throughout the car made me sleepy. I laid down on my side and fluttered my eyes closed, sinking into the darkness and only waking when I could hear the car door opening once again, allowing me to know that we had arrived at the airport. I opened my eyes and groaned some as Carlisle helped me out of the car.

"It was nice to meet and be with you for some time, Bella. You might be meant to be a part of the Volturi but you will always be a Cullen. I'll come and visit you in a year's time, Esme will come with me and obviously Alice. We'll see if anyone else wants to come," Carlisle stated, which in return made my heart flutter in warmth at what he had said.

Demetri didn't have any problems with the fact that Carlisle had claimed me as an honorary Cullen. It was to be expected, if I weren't the mate of one of the Volturi then I would have been the mate of one of the Cullens.

Chances were I would end up being the mate of Edward, but thankfully I wasn't the mate of his. He just didn't give me the same feeling I had felt the moment my eyes had laid on Marcus's in the front yard of the Cullen Residence. It was indescribable how I felt when my eyes had landed on Marcus, to say the least I hadn't known I had a part of me missing until then.

Saying goodbye to Carlisle, Demetri and I went into the airport and through all the different stages to get to the plane.

Only, instead of getting in a commercial airplane with humans all around us there was a private plane the Volturi owned so there would be no questions when it came to the fact that there were beautiful, red eyed people in cloaks sitting in the airplane (they would have been in first class but even then they would raise eyes).

The captain and the stewardess were waiting for us on the air strip, the woman dressed in a uniform reminiscent of the 1950's, including the ascot that was a brilliant crimson. She beamed happily at me and blushed when her eyes landed on Demetri. She looked as though she had just finished college and she pushed pieces of her hair behind her ears, seeming as though she was pleased that he was giving her the time of day.

The captain on the other hand was obviously a seasoned captain, and he looked as though he didn't put up with any kind of bullshit. His uniform was crisp and there was not any kind of winkle that was present upon the fabric. He gave me a stern but kind look, as though letting me know he was showing respect but he was still focused on flying us safely to PSA Airport, which was 49.9 kilometers from the ancient Italian city.

The inside of the airport was stunning, the chairs were made of the best quality of leather and there was a flat screen television that could be seen no matter where you would sit. A marble and gold circular table was in the center of the cabin of the plane, there was a champagne bottle that was chilling in an ice bucket, along with two champagne flutes. Along with a few plates of the best Italian cuisine that could be offered, food that any normal person would not be able to afford but with money like the Volturi it wouldn't make a dent in their fortune.

Demetri put my suitcase in one of the overhead compartments and I sat down in one of the comfortable chairs, sighing in relief as I laid gently within it.

The stewardess asked me if I wanted a blanket and a pillow, and without even being the one to say it I was handed it. Demetri wanted to make sure I would not have to worry at all when it came to the many, many hours it would take for us to reach our destination. I was both flattered but overwhelmed to be honest.

I was asleep when we arrived at the airport in Italy, enough for me to sigh in annoyance since I was getting good sleep. I hadn't been able to sleep that well for the time that I was without Marcus, but it seemed as though the closer I was to him the better I would be when it came to sleeping.

It must have had something to do with the mating bond, and for once it was a good thing that I didn't have Avalyn anymore because I didn't want to imagine the strain this bond would have had with the pregnancy. Along with what my pregnancy would result in when it came to my future people, my courtiers as they would see a pregnant human meant to be their queen after the birth of Avalyn and marriage to Marcus.

"I apologize, my queen, but we have just landed. We aren't too far away from Volterra. King Marcus wants you to automatically be in the company of the other queens in order to integrate yourself into their lives. It is where you will be living," Demetri informed me, earning a grumbling nod from me to let him know I understood him.

I didn't know how I would feel about living in a tower for the rest of eternity, but from what I had heard had happened with the death of the first queen of Marcus it would make sense.

Hopefully my ability to be a shield would be able to come out when I would be turned and I could learn how to practice with the gift. In time I would be able to leave the tower, I would show the three kings that there was nothing that could harm me in the same way that it harmed Didyme. I would also be able to handle protecting the queens with ease, for I was certain they would like to walk around the castle after being locked in the tower for centuries most likely.

"Yes, well I do have to start somewhere. It would be nice to meet the queens. What are their names again, Demetri?"

"There's Queen Sulpicia and Queen Athenodora. Queen Sulpicia is the wife of King Caius, while Queen Athenodora is the wife of King Aro. Neither of them have powers, so you will be the second queen that will have gifts. The Late Queen had the power of causing euphoria around everyone, drowning them in happiness. You will have the power of a shield, being able to eventually shield everyone in a force field sort of way," Demetri explained, earning a nod from me.

Demetri waited patiently for me to get up from my spot on the plane before I walked down the stairs of the plane onto the tarmac.

There was a chauffeur that stood near the middle of the outside of the limousine with his gloved hands folded together behind his back. He was bald and his features along with his eyes showed he was human. He had no idea that he was in the company of vampires, but he seemed relieved when he saw me. He was around someone with normal eyes and normal features instead of these too beautiful people with terrifying crimson eyes.

I barely paid attention to the chauffeur introducing me with his name, it was an old fashioned name that would fade into the background. Italian, but that was to be expected. His accent was very thick, I could barely understand what he was saying. It wouldn't matter after all, eventually I would be without him and he most likely was employed for a one time deal.

I climbed into the back of the limousine, not caring about the expensive interior, something that only the highest of the highest celebrities and businessmen/women would use for meetings or wherever else they would need to go. Demetri got into the back with me and waited patiently for me to find a spot to sit down. He handed me a warm blanket, since the limousine was cooler than I expected, but it wouldn't be too long before we would arrive in Volterra.

I couldn't help but ask him about Volterra in general, learning that it was the oldest city in the entire country. The castle on the other hand hadn't been built until the 1300's, so the Volturi stayed in the closest castle to Volterra, until the castle would be built. Then they claimed the castle without the city having any problems once they helped them during turmoil.

"We have tours around the castle for tourists that sign up, with help of one of our own, Heidi. Her beauty and charisma has easily been able to have people think they are getting the deal of a lifetime. They eventually enter the throne room where the three kings reside and we feed," Demetri stated, slowly and carefully in order to make sure I wouldn't be terrified with what he was telling me about.

I, on the other hand, hadn't shown any time of emotion towards this information. I had known I was walking into a world that was completely different from the human world.

I had learnt of the different diets that vampires had, courtesy of the Cullens. I had no judgment towards humans being killed, as long as it was quick and painless. Or at least so fast that they wouldn't have time to feel anything.

When we finally reached the outskirts of Volterra, I could tell that Demetri was getting both excited but also nervous. After all, I was not coming to be the latest human secretary for the castle. Instead I was coming so I could become the second queen of Marcus.

We went around the back of the city, where there was a secret pathway to the castle. There was a reason for this, partly because the streets weren't built for many cars.

I pulled the blanket off of me since I suddenly felt claustrophobic with it over me. Demetri both shot me another nervous but also respectful look since he knew I was preparing myself for the world I would soon become a part of forever. I would never have to part from them. I would be loved and cherished.

Most of all as the car pulled inside the large and spacious garage that was a little ways away from the castle, I could not wait until I would both see Marcus but also meet the queens. I could only hope they would welcome me with open arms.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: post one of three.

also: we have 10 chapters left in this story.

-Emmy

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me