Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

08. a feeling

1996

Marcus paced in front of the roaring fireplace in the castle's library. The warmth of the fire always brought him a sense of comfort but now it only reminded him of the warm hum in his soul when he was with Claire. It had been a few hours since he said goodbye to her, and he still hadn't worked up the courage to face his brothers. The possibility of them disapproving of her weighed heavy on his mind.

"Brother?" a voice said from behind him. He swiftly turned to face them; apparently, he was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Aro and Caius enter the room.

With a deep sigh, Marcus motioned towards the dark leather lounge.

"Please, sit."

His brothers did as told, Caius raising a brow at his nervous demeanor.

Marcus couldn't delay it any longer, he knew he would be leaving the castle more regularly now, he couldn't keep her a secret. Especially from Aro; one touch and he would know everything about her and every thought he had of her. Hopefully they would be understanding, and possibly even supportive.

"I've found my mate," he sounded strong, daring them to question him. "She's human, but I don't want that to come between us as brothers. I will choose her. So don't make me choose."

They sat in stunned silence for a while. Contrary to popular belief, they were all equal in their rule over other vampires. Aro did not lead them nor have the final say in any decisions, he was just the most charismatic of the trio, so he became their mouthpiece over time. They all shared a brotherly bond that kept them strong and thus, kept their coven steadfast to them. The thought of their brother leaving them was upsetting, so despite their apprehension, Caius and Aro shared a look and a small nod of understanding.

"We'll support you, brother," Marcus' face lit up with a smile that they hadn't seen before. They had already noticed the difference in him; he stood straighter, with more confidence, and his eyes didn't make him look like an empty shell of a man. They knew they made the right choice, even if being involved with a human was technically against the laws they upheld.

Aro offered out his hand, and now that he knew he had his support, Marcus gladly took it to share his thoughts and images of her.

Images of the strikingly beautiful brunette flooded Aro's mind; the tinkling of her laugh, the delicate scent that seemed to surround her, the feeling of her warm, soft skin. He saw the faint, golden bond that tied his brother to her and couldn't help the small feeling of jealousy bubbling up inside him. He was incredibly happy for Marcus, he was glad one of them found their soulmate, but he wanted that as well. He could feel when the years of unhappiness lifted from Marcus' shoulders, replaced with the feelings of hope and joy.

Dropping his hand, Aro smiled softly at his brother. "Truly stunning. Congratulations, Marcus."

"Thank you, Aro," he responded, choosing to ignore the flicker of a new golden bond that had seemed to wrap around his brother. He left them in the library and returned to his wing of the castle, taking the scrap of paper with her phone number out of his pocket and carefully placing it in the jewelry box on his dresser that contained only a copy of his Volturi necklace and a simple golden ring he had since he was human. He would call her tomorrow, but now he needed to distract himself until them.

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The sound of pans and cutlery clanging together stirred Claire  from her slumber, the sound coming from downstairs. She woke up in her old room in Alaska, everything exactly where she left it before she left the country. Polaroids and other photographs were pinned to the pastel pink walls, the smiling faces of her friends looking back at her as she looked around in confusion. The noises from downstairs continued as she slowly turned down her blanket and sitting her feet on the white, shaggy rug next to her bed. She rose from the mattress, carefully making her way out of her door and to the top of the stairs, bending down to look through the railings trying to spot someone in her home.

Unable to see anyone she decided to walk down the stairs, being as quiet as she possibly could. She entered the kitchen and dining area, freezing at the sight before her.

Her mother, her beautiful mother was plating up Claire's favorite blueberry pancakes while her father was pouring three cups of coffee. Just like every Sunday morning. Jenny spotted her daughter and grinned.

"Good morning, honey. How'd you sleep?" her voice was as cheerful as Claire remembered, she struggled not to throw herself at the woman and smother her in a tight hug. Maybe the past year was just a nightmare?

"Good, thanks mom," she stuttered, taking her usual seat at the small, round table. Her mother placed her serving of pancakes in front of her before taking the seat next to her, Michael followed behind his wife and put down Claire's cup of coffee next to her plate before also taking a seat at the table.

They ate in silence, her dad reading the weekend newspaper while occasionally sharing something he read with his two favorite women. Claire was still trying to wrap her head around what was happening. She was sure that this was a dream, but it was the happiest dream she had about them since they passed away.

She began cleaning up after breakfast, as she usually would. She turned to face her dad who was still sitting at the table, but was instead met with a dark kitchen. It was suddenly night-time, and her father wasn't there anymore. No lights were on in the house, so she tried to find her way to the light switch in the dark. Her hands guided her along the wall while the feeling of dread began to overwhelm her.

Finally finding the switch, she flipped it one. She was met with the sight of the walls and floor soaked in crimson blood, the corpses of her parents lying in the middle of the floor, their hands entwined. Their throats were torn open, eyes stuck open in shock. Suddenly a cold hand covered her mouth, preventing the scream that was about to tear from her lungs.

"A beautiful sight, no?" an eerily familiar voice whispered in her ear, the hairs on her arms standing on end. Marcus.

She woke up with a violent scream, back in her bed inside the villa in Rome. She struggled to contain the sobs that were trying to choke her, hot tears rolling down her pale face. She pulled her knees up to her chest and attempted to rock herself calm.

Demetri watched from across the street, anxious and worried for his master's mate. Her nightmare must have been vivid and torturous to garner a reaction like that. He knew he had to share this with Marcus as soon as possible. He'd alert him in the morning, but for now he would keep a close eye on the young woman.