Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.

Author's Note:

I read a lot of Volturi King(s) x OC stories on here. I feel like the main character always finds their way to the Volturi through obscure or statistically improbable paths. If the Volturi feed weekly, then they're likely seeing hundreds of humans every year. Only Bella has a mental shield (as a human) so any other potential mate, gifted or not, would be susceptible to Heidi's gift and could potentially be lured in for feeding. So, that's part of why I decided to write this story.

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Last updated/edited 03/11/2024.

First Person POV: Astrid

I wove through the crowd in the Piazza della Signoria to get a better view of the Fountain of Neptune. The sun was setting, casting golden light across the area. I snapped a photo, sending it to my family's group message. Seeing the fountain had been one of Becca's ideas.

I was trying my best to manage my grief over the death of my best friends, but the healing process was slow. It had been a month now, but I still felt overwhelmed at times.

Closure was the main reason I took this trip to Italy. I wanted to honor our plans, the plans we made the night they died. My eyes stung as my mind wandered back to a month ago.

No, I scolded myself, I wouldn't go down that road again. I needed to remember what my psychiatrist always told me. My memory of what occurred that night was only a nightmare, my belief that it was reality was a delusion caused by the stress of losing my friends.

The week before I graduated high school, I had the most vivid dream, so vivid that I genuinely believed it was real. I had snuck out with my best friends and trespassed at Sandy Hill Beach. I remembered sharing a liter of vodka and reminiscing about our past together. We had started planning a vacation to Italy, just the three of us, to celebrate before we started our first semester at college.

The dream had felt so real… I could still feel the heat in my cheeks and the dizziness caused by the liquor. I could feel the panic palpably as I spotted the flashlight down the beach. But most of all, I remembered the instant before we crashed.

An errant tear ran down my cheek as I tried to reign in my thoughts.

I was so confused the instant I found myself back in my bed at home, I had been in the car with Becca and Eva only a moment before. But I passed out soon after.

I was woken that morning to my parents informing me that my best friends had died in a drunk driving accident on our road. The memories came flooding back instantly and I knew that the memories had been real.

So, I admitted to my parents that I had snuck out with them and had been in the car before the crash. I told them I closed my eyes before we hit the tree and appeared back in my room. Of course, my parents thought that I was mental. They told me that it was just an unlikely coincidence that I had a nightmare on the same night my friends died.

I thought back, desperately trying to come up with proof of the events. But we had planned all the details in person at school, I had no text evidence, no photos, no nothing. All I had were two missed calls from Eva that night, and that didn't prove anything…

I insisted though. I was there. It was real. So, my parents made me see a psychiatrist. Unfortunately, the psychiatrist hadn't believed my claims either and concluded that my grief was causing me to become delusional. Since grief is a temporary ailment, they put me on a low dose of an antipsychotic and recommended therapy long term.

Although I never truly stopped believing, I did well enough during the first month of treatment that I was able to stop the medication so long as I continued with therapy.

Surprisingly, it was my therapist who encouraged me to take this trip. Afterall, it might help me gain closure and at the least, it would cheer me up.

"Excuse me, miss?" a smooth, feminine voice with a hint of an Italian accent called from behind me. I brushed the tear from my cheek and turned to respond.

However, when I turned to face the woman, I was dumbstruck. She was by far the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my life. She had a flawless hourglass figure accentuated by a form fitting but professional black dress. As I looked at her, I couldn't help but admire her long shiny blonde hair. She had high, defined cheek bones and big rounded eyes with thick black eyelashes. The only thing that wasn't exceptional about her appearance was the dull brown color of her eyes.

I blushed and looked down in embarrassment as I realized that I had been staring for longer than appropriate. But she just smiled politely as if she wasn't bothered. I guess she probably got that reaction a lot.

"I'm offering a free trip to the city of Volterra and a tour of the castle and clock tower in the main square." she told me.

"Free…?" I asked suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow. I highly doubted there would be a free trip without a catch.

"We are looking to promote tourism in our city, so we are offering this free trip for a limited number of people." She informed me.

"Okay… sign me up." I said automatically, feeling oddly compelled to stay with her. A tour couldn't hurt, right? I had no plans in Florence tonight anyways.

"Excellent!" She said brightly and took down a note on her clipboard. I followed her through the crowd as she picked up a few more tourists and then ushered us onto a coach bus.

The ride to Volterra was about an hour long. However, it flew by quickly as I watched the beautiful landscape pass. I checked my phone briefly and saw my little brother had responded to the photo I had sent earlier. Erik would never admit it, but I knew that he missed me.

The bus parked and Heidi, as she introduced herself to the group, ushered off the 40 or so people into the town square. Just as she had claimed, there was a grand castle and clock tower right in the center of the town. I followed behind her as she showed us around the main square and then to a pair of grand double doors that lead into the clock tower. We entered a well decorated lobby which featured red velvet couches, a large crystal chandelier, and a dark wooden desk with a secretary behind it.

"Hello Giana" Heidi greeted the secretary as we passed. Gianna appeared to be a native Italian, around 30, and was dressed in a modest but expensive looking black dress just like Heidi. She greeted us with a polite smile and wave.

Heidi informed us that the castle was privately owned by the Volturi family. According to Heidi, the Volturi family had a hand in founding the city. She also boasted that Volterra was one of the safest cities in the world.

"Now, if you'll follow me to the west wing that is where most of the artwork is displayed."

Upon arriving in the west wing, I saw that it was stocked with art in every medium. However, one sculpture seemed to really capture my attention. It was of two beautiful women embracing. The woman on the left was tall, almost 6ft with straight, shoulder length hair and an angular face. The woman on the right was a few inches shorter with long, fine, wavy hair and a soft, round face. Despite the significant differences between their appearances, both women were stunning. They wore dresses that looked like they were from ancient Greece. The statue was obviously well kept but I wondered how old it was.

I admired the statue for another moment and then hurried after the tour group when I realized that they were already heading to the next area.

After a few more stops Heidi led us towards another set of grand double doors.

"We will now see the throne room. It's absolutely marvelous, you'll just die when you see it." She told us with a tinkling laugh.

As we approached, I noticed that two guards were posted outside the door. The guards wore heavy charcoal gray cloaks, so it was difficult to determine much about their appearances. From what I could see, the rightmost guard was exceptionally tall and well built, and the leftmost guard was shorter and leaner. I was surprised by the presence of guards… hadn't Heidi just said this city was safe?

The guards opened the doors, allowing my tour group to enter. As I gazed around, I was astounded by the interior of the throne room. It was roughly the size of a theater. The walls and floor were built in black calcatta marble with large Corinthian columns lining the sides. The room had a large expanse of empty space in the center and at the very front was a dais which featured imposing three thrones under a thick red canopy. The three thrones were high backed, fabricated with gold alloy, and lined in red velvet. As I finished gawking at the excess, I noticed that many individuals already occupied the room. Every individual in the throne room was dressed in a thick monochrome cloak with a hood shrouding their face. The cloaks ranged in shade, with only the individuals on the dais wearing pitch black cloaks. There appeared to be as many of the cloaked figures as there were members of my tour group I noted.

My apprehension grew, as I continued to follow my tour group further into the room. For some reason, I could not see this situation ending well for my tour group.

There were five figures residing on the dais at the far back of the room. Three were seated on the thrones while two stood behind the thrones on either side of the middle one. However, I barely noticed anything else after I caught sight of the man on the center throne. I assumed the figure was a male based on the tall stature and broad shoulders. Somehow, even with his face and body obscured by the thick black cloak he wore, I felt a pull towards him. I dismissed the feeling as curiosity, after all, I had more important things to worry about right now.

The man on the center throne rose gracefully and raised his hands in greeting. His hands were extremely pale, with long, slender fingers. I had always been the fairest of all my friends, but this man had me beat.

"Our honored guests have arrived." He announced, his voice rich and deep.

I frowned; this situation was getting stranger by the second. I wondered if there was some way to excuse myself; however, given the sinister atmosphere of the room, it didn't seem likely that they would be letting me leave.

The man on the center throne removed his hood and my breath caught at his beauty. He appeared to be of Greek decent with aristocratic features. I estimated his age to be about mid-twenties. He had a strong jaw line, high cheek bones and a perfectly straight nose. His almond shaped eyes were framed by long black eyelashes and his facial features were perfectly symmetrical. He had shoulder length straight, silky black hair. He was even more attractive than Heidi... How likely was it that I would see two of the most attractive people I'd ever seen in my life within the span of one night?

My appreciative thoughts were interrupted as our eyes met. His gleeful expression instantaneously morphed into one of shock. His irises were a dark shade of red, but despite the odd color, his gaze did not make me uncomfortable.

My heart lurched, and I felt myself being pulled forward by an invisible force as we maintained eye contact. I took a small step forward as my heart continued to jump out of my chest. I frowned in concentration and broke eye contact with the stranger, hoping to end whatever spell I seemed to be under. As my eyes fell to the floor, the feeling in my chest subsided.

When I returned to reality, I noticed that my tour group had gone dead silent. I glanced behind me and saw that they appeared to be huddling together in the center of the room. I glanced back at the cloaked figures surrounding us and realized their hoods had been removed. I was now surrounded by a sea of red eyes, unnatural beauty, and voracious expressions...

The throne room doors slammed shut and the sound reverberated through the hall. I felt the blood drain from my face as I stumbled backwards into the rest of my tour group. Nothing good could come of this, it was going to be a blood bath.

Death by vampire, who would have thought?

The man on the center throne now held a determined expression as he flashed forward directly towards me followed by the rest of the individuals surrounding us. Terrified screams rang out as the vampires converged.

My heart stuttered and time slowed around me. I felt adrenaline rush through my veins.

I wish I had never left the art wing.

I shut my eyes and waited for the carnage to begin.