Her Three Kings {Volturi Kings}

Chapter 19

It was several days before Caius would let her out of his sight, not that she minded. As long as she got to see her other mates as well, she was content. It was decided with all the changes, that the Christmas trip to Forks should be canceled. The kings and Carlisle agreed that she needed to settle into her new life. Find a routine. No one bothered to ask her what she thought. She did her shopping and shipped the presents home. And on Christmas day, they Skyped so they could be together. Kind of.

The Volturi didn't celebrate as a whole. Her mates were older than Christmas so it held little appeal for them. That was kind of trippy. Lily on the other hand had always loved the holidays. Her heart broke a little when she found out that there would be no decorations, no presents, no family. When the kings asked her what was wrong, she simply said she missed her family. It was true enough.

Jasper, Edward and Alice tried to get her to tell her mates she wanted to celebrate, but she refused. They'd changed enough for her without her complaining over something that really didn't matter. The Cullens hadn't celebrated until she moved in either. She'd spread the Christmas cheer next year.

For the most part, things went well except she missed her family. Her bonds with them ached the whole day, even with her blocking some of it. The kings had doted on her, watching movies with her in her theater room and providing her with all the milkshakes a girl could ask for.

Eventually, she withdrew to her room to spend some time on her own. She dug out the quilt that Esme had given her, remembering what she'd said at the time. For your first night alone. While she'd surely spent other nights alone since her arrival in Volterra. This was the first night she felt it so acutely.

Lily wrapped the thick blanket around herself and curled up on her sofa. A flash of something caught her attention and she flipped the edge of the quilt back to look at the inside of it. She gasped as familiar writing flooded her vision. She jumped to her feet and spread the blanket on the bed, with the bottom side facing up.

There, lovingly laid into the fabric, were letters from her family. One from each of them that Esme had somehow transferred to the material. Words of love and encouragement. And precisely what she needed on her first Christmas away from her family.

***

It was roughly three weeks past Christmas when she got a phone call from Edward. The kings were in trials so she was by herself in their common area. "Eddie," she exclaimed when she answered the phone.

He chuckled. "Hey, sis. Listen, would it be okay if I came to visit for a few days?"

She bounced in her seat. "Of course, it is. You don't have to ask."

"No, I really do. You're the queen now."

She groaned. "Don't start that queen business. Come see me. Let me know when your flight lands and I'll send a car."

"Don't you think you should check with your mates?" Amusement colored his voice.

"Fine, but go ahead and book your flight. If they say no, you can get a hotel room and I'll sneak out to see you." She meant it too. They weren't keeping her from her family. "I'll call you back."

She hung up and hurried into her room. She grabbed a dress without really looking at it and slipped it on before fixing her hair in a messy bun. She didn't take the time to look for shoes and hurried to the throne room. The guard opened the door for her with no hesitation and she rushed into the room.

All her mates instantly turned their attention to her. "Is everything alright, dolcezza?" Marcus asked, standing from his throne.

She waved him back down. "Everything is fine. Finish your trial. I just need to talk to you."