Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

14. work of art

1996

Caius was a bundle of tightly wound nerves. Not only was he about to spend time alone with Claire for the first time, but he was about to introduce her to one of his passions. Through the centuries, his one constant, apart from his brothers, was art. He had spent hundreds of years perfecting his skills in painting and sculpting, but he'd never been as nervous to share it with someone.

He was taking her to Uffizi Gallery, a grand building in Florence filled with Renaissance masterpieces. There were a few uncredited pieces throughout the exhibits, some of which were his own work. His more refined collection was safely tucked away in the Volturi castle, so he didn't mind watching humans fawn over his older pieces.

He tentatively rapped his knuckles against her door then began to fiddle with his jacket sleeves. He had taken advice from Marcus, dressing slightly more casually than he was used to. He opted for a white button-up, the sleeves rolled up neatly to his elbows, navy trousers and brown Italian leather shoes. He had the matching jacket in the car in case Claire got too cold during their outing. He heard the flurry of footsteps and a racing heartbeat behind the door before it was pulled open suddenly.

Claire stood in the doorway, her hair down in soft waves and her delicate scent enveloping him. She wore a burnt orange turtleneck sweater, a black mini skirt with tights and her black platform boots. Caius thought she looked stunning. He still couldn't believe his luck; this beautiful woman was his.

He snapped out of his ogling and flashed her a dazzling smile.

"Good evening, Claire. You look wonderful," he complimented.

"Hi, Caius. Thank you" she smiled softly, averting her eyes from him.

"Ready to go?" she nodded shyly at him. He found her nervousness adorable, and his pride flared at the affect he had on her; he could hear her swift pulse and see the blush tinting her cheeks.

He offered her his arm and she took it graciously. They fell into easy conversation as they made their way to the car, and on their drive to Florence.

Caius lapped up the attention she gave him; she questioned him about his life, his life before becoming immortal and his part in human history. He didn't mention his previous marriage, afraid that that revelation would be too much for her. But he did share what he remembered from his human life, which wasn't much, and he did tell her tales of his life before the Volturi took over as the monarchs of them vampire world. He thought he better stay away from heavier subjects, as his brothers may want to be present for them.

In turn, he asked Claire about her life in America, her friends and her hobbies. He avoided bringing up the topic of her parent because he was afraid to upset her, and he didn't want to talk about her past relationships in fear that he would lose his cool.

Once they arrived at their destination, Caius led her to an entrance on the side of the building, away from the main entrance.

"We're not breaking in, are we?" She questioned. It was definitely after closing time; the moon was high and bright, and the city's nightlife was just starting to flourish.

He hummed and opened the heavy door for her. "And if we were?"

"Well then lead the way!" she grinned playfully. Her confidence around Caius had risen and she was enjoying getting to know him, separately from his brothers.

He smiled in response and wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her deeper into the gallery. A few staff spotted them and were ready to contact security, but as soon as they recognised Caius as one of their most generous benefactors, and one with a renowned short temper, they let the pair be. It was one of the many luxuries of living a long time; you accumulate a lot of wealth. Caius chose to give some of his back to the arts.

They took their time walking through the halls, stopping at every work of art as Caius explained each piece at length. The sheer passion and knowledge he had for art made her heart drum faster, it was alluring. The way he described each canvas, every brush stroke and every marble curve insnared her further. He made everything seem so beautiful and so ethereal. He even quietly spoke of a few artists he knew personally, their works now held in high regard and viewed as masterpieces.

It put into perspective how small humans really were. They lived through so much, but barely anything at all. Caius had met kings, great artists and people that moulded our society into what it is now, he had seen empires fall and new ones rise in their place. He lived through so much, as had Marcus and Aro, and now they wanted to share their lives with her.

While Claire seemed to stare off, deep in thought, Caius took a moment to admire her. She was just as gorgeous as the first time he saw her, and now that her personality was shining through, he was falling more head-over-heels for her. She held herself with confidence and dignity, and every little movement she made was smooth and graceful. In some moments, it seemed like she was already a vampire; her elegance and beauty could put many an immortal to shame. She was more divine than any work of art he had ever seen, and he swore to treat her with just as much reverence.

"This is one of mine," with a strong hand on her lower back, he guided her towards a large marble sculpture of Venus.

"One of yours?" she raised a brow at him in question.

"Yes, one of mine. I spent many years perfecting her, though now her beauty pales in comparison to yours."

She was so consumed by the fact that this was a piece of Caius' art, in a gallery, dated to the first century A.D, that she almost missed his compliment. She flushed scarlet and trained her eyes on the sculpture, avoiding looking at him in fear she'd melt under his warm gaze.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, stepping closer and reaching out to brush her slender fingers delicately over the cold stone. Caius just watched on in admiration. Hearing her praise his work sent a warm feeling surging through his soul. It was the assurance he needed to show her more of his work, and the couple spent the next hour or so hunting down Caius' works throughout the gallery.

"Thank you, Caius. I had the most amazing time," she walked next to him, his arm securely around her waist as they returned to the car.

"It's been my pleasure, angelo," he glanced down at her at his side and sent her a small smile. Once they made it to the car, he opened her door for her and aided her into her seat. Perhaps taking his time, he eventually took his place in the driver's seat and they began the long drive back to Claire's home. It wasn't even ten minutes into the trip when she had fallen asleep, the excitement and late hour catching up with her.

Caius smiled fondly at him mate. She looked too cute. With his vampire speed, he reached into the backseat of his car to grab his jacket and drape it over her form to keep her warm. She was so vulnerable right now, his instincts telling him to stay close. And he did; he carefully cradled Claire as he leapt from the ground and through her open bedroom window, then laid her down on her bed, taking off her shoes and tucking her in. She barely stirred, only groaning lightly when he removed his jacket from her.

He took watch that night, sending Dimitri back to the castle with instructions to relieve him in the morning. 

a/n: i was gonna say thank you for 10k reads, but its now at 12k! so thank you, so much. 

i was wondering if anyone would be interested in a discord? i'd post previews, maybe one-shots, and i'd be cool with self promos.