Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

21. dislike

1996

"When did she get here?" Ryan asked, closing the sliding doors to the kitchen. "And who the hell are they?"

"They got here just after midday," Layla crossed her arms, lifting a brow at the clearly agitated man. "She has told us about Marcus before, you know?"

"Oh, trust me, I know," he groused. "Why are the others here? His brothers? I don't buy it."

"You're being a bit paranoid, love. They're nice enough, a bit quiet. But they've been polite."

"I'm not being paranoid. I'm just worried about her. A foreign boyfriend? Like that isn't a recipe for disaster."

Layla rolled her eyes in exasperation. Her husband was being very distrustful, which wasn't too odd, but it was uncalled for. He needed to trust Claire's judgment.

"Claire is an adult, Ryan. I know you want to protect her, we both do. But she needs to make her own mistakes... and I don't think Marcus is a mistake. You should watch how he looks at her, he's in love with her."

Ryan just huffed, not wanting to hear it. Despite the unfortunate events that lead Claire to them, they wouldn't change a thing. They saw her as their own daughter. Sadly, they were never blessed with children, and both thought themselves too old now to even try. It made them want to protect her, and Ryan didn't know where to draw that line yet.

"She's happy, happier than I've ever seen her. You need to at least try to get along with them."

﹌﹌﹌

Claire laughed as Marcus' expense, earning her a playful glare from the vampire.

"I don't know how to talk to parental figures!" Marcus defended. "I you haven't noticed, I'm a few thousand years old. Dating was a bit different back then."

He didn't dare mention his deceased wife. That's a conversation he had yet to have with Claire, and he knew neither of his brothers had mention their previous wives to her either. Perhaps it would come back and bite him, but he didn't want her to think she had to fight to hold part of his heart. She held it all. He had mourned, and with the discovery of his mate, he had moved on.

"Don't try to impress them. Ryan is a detective; he can smell bullshit a mile away. Just be you," Claire comforted, running her fingers through Marcus' hair. He almost purred with contentment, delighting in her touch.

"Let's face it, maybe Marcus wasn't the best choice," Aro suggested. "We all know I'm the more charming one."

"Arrogant is the word I'd use," Caius muttered.

"We've already discussed this. Don't get bitter," Claire scolded, still comforting Marcus. The three kings sat silently, reprimanded by their mate, while Demetri watched on, amused.

﹌﹌﹌

"Okay, okay. I'll play nice," Ryan finally relented.

"That's better, now let's go back out there and support her, yes?"

When Ryan nodded, they bother turned and left the room, heading back to the living room. While Layla returned to her place near Claire, Ryan hovered awkwardly at the doorway. With a sharp glare from his wife, he finally took a seat, on the lounge next to Caius.

They conversed for another hour, Claire telling the couple about her adventures in Italy. She told them about the private tour of Uffizi, the small boutique stores and cafes she discovered in Cecina, her days lounging in the sun on the white sand of the local beach. The brothers offered commentary, Marcus telling them about the dates he had whisked her away on.

Okay, so maybe he was still trying to impress them. He had to do all the heavy lifting for his brother, while they got to watch on and laugh at him.

"Okay, we should head off," Claire said, standing from the lounge and dusting off her jeans.

"Where are you staying?" Layla questioned.

"At my... parents house," she replied. She didn't see it as her home anymore, but it was still her parent's.

"Oh, alright. I kept it clean, I'd go over it once a week," Layla explained.

Claire nearly teared up, grateful that someone looked after the home her parents worked so hard for when she was trying to forget about it. She wrapped Layla in a tight hug. While the women had their moment, Ryan motioned for Marcus to join him in a far corner of the room, away from the others.

"Listen," Ryan whispered, intending for only Marcus to hear. "I don't like you. I won't like you. Claire deserves the world, and no man will ever be good enough. Saying that, you seem to make her happy, and I'm not going to tell her who she date. That's not my place. Just remember, I'm a cop and I know how to use a gun. Do not hurt her."

Marcus wouldn't admit it, but the fiery and protective flare in Ryan eyes was quite intimidating, almost making him take a step back. Almost. He admired the man for standing up for Claire, even if she was a grown woman.

"Sir, I swear on my life, I will never intentionally hurt Claire. I love her, with every fibre of my being."

Ryan knew that, he could see it. He watched them, saw how attentive Marcus was, saw how he looked at her. It reminded him of his love for his wife.

"Good. She's been through enough, she doesn't need a man making it harder," Ryan curtly stated, then left the vamp standing alone. He joined in the hug Layla and Claire were sharing, one arm around his wife's waist and the other around Claire's shoulders.

Caius was barely holding in a laugh, while Aro looked extremely amused. They couldn't believe that he was just threatened by a human, and even looked slightly scared. So much for being a big, tough vampire.

"We'll be back tomorrow," Claire said, pulling away and drifting towards the doorway, her 'boyfriend', his brothers and Demetri following. "Thank you for having us."

Layla and Ryan walked them outside and watched them drive away in their luxury car.

"I still don't like them," Ryan stated before returning to the house. Layla just rolled her eyes again. Really, he was nicer to them than she thought he would be. But she didn't doubt that he would be spending the following weeks calling his contacts to do a background check of the men.

a/n: umm thank you for 40k reads! that's insane. a little filler, buuut oh well.