"That will be all, Jane," Marcus murmured, his voice smooth and effortless, yet somehow carrying enough weight that Jane obeyed without hesitation.

She nodded once, shooting a glance in my direction before vanishing from sight as swiftly as she had appeared. I watched my small friend leave through the ornate doors of the library, feeling a small pang of loss as she left me with Caius and Marcus. The library felt noticeably quieter without her presence, the flickering candlelight casting elongated shadows across the ancient tomes and scrolls spread between the two elders before me.

I found myself awkwardly shifting under their gaze, unsure of what exactly to do with myself after Jane's departure.

"Come, sit," Marcus invited, gesturing to the chair beside himself. "We would enjoy your company."

I hesitated, my eyes flickering toward Caius. I tried to search his expression, to assess if I was unwelcome still in his eyes. His crimson gaze remained unreadable, the hardness not entirely leaving his features, yet he said nothing to deter me. That, in itself, was surprising, and comforting. Warily, I stepped forward and took the seat Marcus had indicated, settling my hands in my lap. We sat in silence for a moment longer, with the two passing papers between them, Caius occasionally nodding to Marcus as he read the old transcripts.

Caius was finally the first to break the silence. "I trust Jane has not let you wander too much."

His tone was sharper than Marcus', but it lacked the outright hostility he had displayed towards me before. It wasn't exactly a welcome, but it also wasn't the threat that it had felt like in the beginning.

"She has been very attentive," I answered carefully, watching Caius' expression. "She gave me a tour earlier, introduced me to some of the guard more personally, and—well, she brought me here since she noticed my interest in the library."

Marcus inclined his head slightly. "A good choice. Knowledge is a powerful thing, and this castle holds more of it than most places in the world."

Caius huffed, but I caught the flicker of amusement in his gaze. "That is an understatement, brother."

The atmosphere eased, if only a fraction. I watched as Marcus leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression thoughtful. He looked towards me as he spoke again, "Caius and I have spent centuries adding to this collection. It is one of the few indulgences we have fully allowed ourselves over the millennia."

I glanced at the shelves around us, wondering just how much history had passed through their hands. The sheer breadth of knowledge contained within this room was staggering, and I found myself trying to imagine the pass of centuries - no, of millennia - within this castle. My mind reeled.

"It must be strange, watching the world change so drastically while you stay the same."

Marcus studied me, his expression ever unreadable. "It is. But change, however painful, has its purpose."

I felt the weight of those words settle between us, heavy with meaning. I thought of Charlie, of the Cullens, of how much had shifted in my world in such a short time. Change was inevitable, but it was rarely kind.

Marcus seemed to sense the turn of my thoughts, as unknowing as he may be to exactly where they had wandered, because he changed the subject gently as he looked up at me. "You have met many of our kind already. Have you enjoyed Jane's introductions thus far?"

I smiled slightly, thinking back to Demetri's amusement, Felix's playful taunts from the floors of the training hall, and Jane's surprisingly steady presence. "It's been… interesting, but everyone has been kind, at least," I admitted. "I don't think I was what they expected."

Caius let out a dry chuckle as I finished speaking. "No. That, I can guarantee, young one."

Marcus tilted his head. "And what of your own interests, Bella? Now that you have seen more of our world, what is it you wish to learn? I would hate to leave your feeling entirely aimless in our world." His voice was soft as he spoke, and I found myself relaxing into the conversation.

I thought back to Carlisle's book in the library - wishing to read it, as inconsequential as a simple medical journal would be. I hesitated for only a second before answering, "Languages. Italian, maybe even Latin."

Both Marcus and Caius looked mildly surprised by my response. "Oh?" Marcus mused, intrigued. I could see a glimmer of excitement in his eyes as he appraised me. Caius leaned forward in his seat ever so slightly.

"If I'm going to be in Volterra for any length of time, I'd like to experience it properly. Not just the castle. The town, the people, should I get to explore again outside of these walls. But I can't exactly do that either, if I don't understand the language."

Caius regarded me with something almost akin to approval, though it was fleeting. "A rare sentiment for someone so young. Most humans are content to remain ignorant of the world beyond their own convenience."

"Bella is not most humans," Marcus interjected, his voice filled with something softer. I noticed a small smile playing on his lips, as he responded to his brother.

I felt warmth creep into my cheeks at his words, though I wasn't entirely sure why. Before I could dwell on it, Marcus leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady on mine. My breath hitched in my throat as his eyes met mine again.

"Then we shall see to it that you learn, in time, dear one."

I smiled as I peered up at Marcus, my brown eyes meeting his crimson.

We fell back into a more comfortable silence this time, with me feeling far more at ease in their presence now that I had seen Caius express far less anger towards me than he had prior. I thought back to him and Athenadora in the gardens, and how, despite the harshness his features always seemed to hold, he looked incredibly at ease with her.

Marcus and Caius spoke in hushed tones in a language I still had yet to understand, though I was sure now that it was Italian. I found myself craning as I tried to pick out the words between them, failing fruitlessly.

As they continued to speak, I found myself studying Marcus' features, drawn to the stark contrast between him and the pale-haired vampire across from him. Where Caius was sharp angles and rigid control, Marcus was something softer—still statuesque and undeniably inhuman, but with an elegance that felt effortless rather than imposed. Strands of his long dark hair framed his face, his crimson eyes holding a depth that felt as though they could see through the very fabric of time itself- in a small way, I almost believed he could. His movements, slow and deliberate, carried a quiet grace that was almost mesmerizing to watch. Even in this moment, as he read alongside Caius, occasionally looking up to respond to a pointed question from his brother, there was still an air of detached melancholy about him, as though part of him still wandered through some distant memory.

"I would like to show you more of Volterra one day."

The statement caught me off guard. "More of Volterra?" In my mind, images of the walled city around us from my first day flashed as I thought back - it was beautiful, and over the days as I realized I wasn't going to die, at least not imminently, I had found myself growing restless, wishing that I had explored more before finding myself within this gilded cage of a castle.

"Yes," he mused. "You've seen the castle, or at least, much of it, but the city holds its own wonders in my eyes. I think you would appreciate its charm- our little home outside of home is very beautiful, and, when you begin learning the language, it may help to experience conversations with the locals."

I blinked at him, uncertain. "I thought you didn't exactly want me exploring the city?" I had meant my words to be a statement, but it came out more as a question.

Marcus hummed in agreement, seeming to ignore the inflection in my tone. His eyes became gentle as he spoke. "Not under the sun, no. But there are days when the sky darkens, when the rain falls, and the clouds shelter the city in shadow." He tilted his head slightly, something thoughtful in his expression. "On such a day, I could walk beside you, assuming you would be comfortable with that."

I stared at him, my heart skipping a beat at the unexpected offer. For a brief moment, my mind conjured an image of us strolling through the cobbled streets, rain-soaked and ancient, the city unfolding around us as if it belonged to just the two of us. The beautiful immortal, and the relatively plain-looking human, both clad in dark cloaks. In another life, we could have sat at a little café together, telling stories between ourselves just as we had within these castle walls, but different.

It felt almost… like a date when I thought more of it.

I quickly shoved the thought away, my face warming at the ridiculousness of it. Marcus was still Volturi royalty, even if he had softened considerably towards me. He was timeless, powerful, and utterly unreachable. There was no way he could mean it in any way beyond simple hospitality, given he was just meant to be a mentor of sorts to me. I was still, ultimately, just a human who had stumbled into their world.

Still, something in the way he said it—so calm, so certain—made my chest tighten.

Caius exhaled sharply and stood, rolling up one of the scrolls in front of him. He nodded in our direction curtly as he walked towards a shelf, neatly placing the scroll back in its' rightful place. "I need to speak with Aro."

The shift in the room was immediate. Without Caius' presence, the atmosphere felt lighter, less tense. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. I watched as he strode toward the doors, his robes billowing slightly with the movement, and tried to imagine the reason for his sudden exist. He didn't acknowledge either of us further before he disappeared down the corridor, leaving me alone with Marcus.

Silence settled between us for a moment before Marcus spoke again, his voice softer now, although his eyes were still fixated upon the door Caius had left out of. "Would you like that, Bella? To see the city beyond these walls?"

I hesitated before answering, trying not to seem overtly eager. "I think I would."

His lips quirked ever so slightly, seeming contented my answer. "Then one day, when the rain comes, I will take you." He turned back to the various papers laid out before him, as he began to sort them on the table, leaving them in neat stacks, surely for someone else to put away.

Marcus set aside the last of the aged parchment before him, his fingers gliding over the surface of the neat stack, in a final act of thought before he shifted his attention back to me. His crimson eyes studied me with quiet consideration, his gaze trailing over my expression, my posture, as if weighing something in his head.

"You have not eaten since this morning," he observed.

I blinked, caught off guard. Had it really been that long? Now that he mentioned it, the dull ache of hunger stirred in my stomach, something I had been too distracted to acknowledge before. I hesitated, unsure of whether I should brush it off or confirm it, but Marcus was already standing, his movements fluid and unhurried.

"Come," he said simply, gesturing his hand toward the hallway outside of the library. "You should eat."

I fell into step beside him as he led me through the corridors, the quiet hum of castle life moving around us in the distance. The halls felt different without Jane's presence—less like I was being escorted somewhere, and more like I was walking with a kindred spirit of sorts now. The feeling unsettled me slightly, though I couldn't pinpoint why, so I tried to push it down.

The dining area was as grand as it had been before, though I suspected it was rarely used, given how few human staff actually existed within the walls of the grand castle - I had met Gianna, Bianca, which had at least brought my count of humans to two, three if you included myself - but so far, everyone else I had met had been immortal, forever frozen in time.

The large wooden table stretched across the room, lined with chairs that seemed more for show than for function. The scent of food lingered in the air, and as we entered, I saw a plate set out at the far end, steam still faintly rising from it

Pasta, freshly made, with a rich tomato sauce and herbs. My stomach clenched at the sight of it, suddenly reminding me of just how ravenous I truly was. I turned to Marcus, uncertain. "Are you sure this is okay?"

He inclined his head slightly, gesturing for me to sit. "It was prepared for you. Eat."

I hesitated only a moment longer before slipping into the chair, twirling the fork into the warm dish. The first bite was heavenly, the flavors bursting across my tongue in a way that made me forget, for a brief moment, where I was. I ate in silence for a minute before Marcus spoke again.

"Caius is… difficult to understand at times," he said, his voice contemplative. "But his distrust does not entirely come without reason. I sense your... worry, when in his presence, but I would simply give him time."

I looked up at him, surprised by the sudden topic of conversation. He was watching me carefully, his expression unreadable.

"He has seen much in his time, some of it happened before I had even come into the picture myself," Marcus continued, his fingers idly trailing across the surface of the table. "Betrayal. War. The loss of those he once held close. It is not an easy thing to recover from, nor to forget. It has shaped him into the man he is, and unfortunately, he can come across as very cold. I'm sure at times, both of my brothers can, as well as myself." I tried to think back, wondering if I had ever so much as seen a standoffish version of Marcus, but came up blank. Assessing the immortal in front of me once again, I couldn't imagine him as anything but necessarily warm, even in times where I couldn't exactly read him.

I swallowed my bite, considering his words before I spoke. "But he's accepted me, more or less, I think?"

Marcus inclined his head slightly, a small smile spreading across his features as he thought of his brother. "He has."

It was strange to think about—Caius, the man who had barely disguised his distaste for my presence at first, had somehow reached the point of tolerating me. Perhaps even trusting me, in his own rigid way.

"Aro, on the other hand," Marcus said, his voice taking on an almost wry note, "is quite the opposite. His interest in you is… considerable."

I froze mid-bite, my stomach twisting, coiling around itself for a second as I thought of Aro once more. His crazed, ruby eyes, and his catlike features frames by his long black hair. Nervousness bubbled up in my stomach as I imagined why Aro could possibly be so interested in a mere human. "Because he can't read my thoughts?"

Marcus nodded. "That is one reason, yes."

He leaned back slightly, watching me with a quiet amusement as he spoke. "Aro is not accustomed to encountering mysteries, Bella. He prides himself on knowing everything, on unraveling the intricacies of those around him with a single touch. It is once of his greatest strengths - one of our coven's greatest strengths. To be able to see someone's entire history, every thought that has crossed their minds, every memory... It is an incredible power that he does not take his possession of lightly. Your mind, however, remains closed to him, and that alone is enough to make you an enigma he cannot resist."

I frowned as recognition surely dawned on my face. "He must hate that."

Marcus chuckled softly, the sound low and brief. "Immensely. Though he would never admit it outright."

I twirled my fork through the pasta absently as I thought back to Edward, and how he was unable to hear my thoughts as well. I was susceptible to the gifts of Jasper, my 'shield,' or, whatever you would call it, being entirely penetrable to him, although it wasn't exactly like emotions are entirely of the mind, at least not in my understand. And Alice... I grimaced as I remembered the sister that I had lost, before looking back up to Marcus. He had to have more of an answer than I could come up with myself.

"Does he have any theories?"

"A few," Marcus admitted. "He has considered the possibility that your mind does not function as others do—that there is something inherent in your nature that repels external forces, at least those of the supernatural. Although he seems fairly certain that he is wrong in that exact theory." He paused, his red eyes darkening marginally, as he seemed to almost choose his next words. "And then there are… other theories."

I swallowed, suddenly wary. "What kind of other theories?"

Marcus hesitated just a fraction too long before answering. His eyes met mine once again. "That your mind is not simply closed, but shielded. That what prevents him from reading your thoughts is not passive, but an active defense, whether you are controlling it knowingly, or not."

I blinked at him. "You mean like a power?"

"Yes."

I let out a short, incredulous laugh. "That's ridiculous. I'm just human."

Marcus tilted his head slightly, considering me. "Are you?"

The question made my stomach twist, and I wasn't sure why. Of course, I was human. What else could I be? And yet, he had asked regardless, giving pause to my earlier statement as he assessed me.

Marcus exhaled lightly, as if shaking off the thought. "Aro delights in theories, in solving the unknown, but whether they hold truth is another matter entirely. Still, he watches, and he waits."

"For what?"

"For answers."

A shiver ran down my spine at the weight of his words, and I suddenly had the distinct feeling that Aro was constantly watching, despite the relative freedom he had given me within the castle walls, going so far as to issue tokens of protection.

Marcus' gaze lingered on mine, something unreadable in his eyes. For the briefest of moments, his lips parted as he stammered, "there's also..." but then, just as quickly, he seemed to think better of it, allowing himself to trail off, his expression smoothing over.

I almost asked what he had been about to say, but the moment had passed, slipping away from us as Marcus looked pointedly at my food, as if to remind me that it was still left unfinished. I picked up my fork once more, taking a bite, smiling as the flavours hit my tongue. I assumed this was yet another creation of Gianna's, and I made a mental note to speak with her once again so I could properly thank her for remembering to provide food for me as well.

"It's no matter," he began, a small smile replacing his serious expression from before, and I found myself lost yet again in observing his features for a moment, "I wouldn't worry yourself too intensively on the why for now, and just accept that it is. I will admit, I find myself a little envious of this ability of yours. Being shielded from Aro's prying eyes..." he trailed off, lost in thought once more.

I grimaced as I imagined the constant intrusion of his thoughts that Marcus must experience from Aro, as normal as it probably was to him over his long existence. My plate in front of me was now empty, and I crossed my arms over each other on the table, leaning forward as I spoke, quieter this time, "that must not be exactly easy, having all of your thoughts easily accessible to someone at all times."

Marcus smiled at my small assessment as he spoke again.

"Well, yes, and no," I looked up at him inquisitively as he continued, wondering in what way it could possibly be useful to have even mental privacy voided, "yes, unfortunately, Aro happens to know my every thought, in painful detail when I would prefer to share them selectively. But it has also leant itself to great usefulness at times, allowing us to make decisions on the fly about the future of others, particularly those who have acted against us, without needing to speak aloud before our decision is final."

I felt myself shudder slightly as he spoke, imagining myself in a position where Aro had been able to read my every thought and memory when I had first touched his hand. I was sure that I wouldn't have been left alive, had he uncovered the full truth as to how I found myself seeking help from the Volturi. Marcus seemed to sense my un-ease, even if he didn't entirely understand why, and reached across the table to place one of his hands over my own, stroking his thumb across the back of my hand in repetitive circles. Despite the stark coolness of his marble skin in comparison to mine, I found the gesture calming.

We sat in silence for a few moments, with Marcus' hand over mine, both of us lost in thought, before I looked up to see him looking out of one of the tall windows in the dining hall. The sun had long since gone done, entrenching the world beyond us in darkness.

He turned to look back to me, smiling faintly, although it was wrong in some way, almost sad. "It seems I've kept you too long, I'm sure you need to sleep at this point."

I nodded, unsure of exactly how to respond, wishing that I could stay and talk longer with the immortal in front of me, but feeling the void of sleep calling to me from beyond.

"We'll talk more later, tomorrow?" I asked as we stood, preparing for the walk back to my chambers' contained within Marcus' wing of the castle. The tone in my voice betrayed the level of my wish to stay and speak more, and I saw Marcus crack a wry smile in my direction.

"Of course, if that is what you wish."

After walking back to my room, with Marcus departing, presumably to find his brothers, I found myself mulling over the confusion that I felt in my feelings towards him, still unsure myself as to why I felt so drawn to him, but undeniably excited by the thought of exploring Volterra with him, weather permitting.

Jane came by very briefly as I was preparing for bed to ascertain that I had made it back to my chambers safely, bidding me a goodnight as she ducked back out of the door and into the shadows of the castle, seemingly content with herself once she had seen that I had been safely tucked away.

That night was one of the most peaceful sleeps that I had had since arriving in Volterra, finding myself feeling more at ease after witnessing the shift in Caius' behaviour, in-hand with Marcus' promise to see the city in more fullness soon.

I would have to make sure to take him up on his promise.