Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

32. belong

"Leave us." Marcus ordered as the flames died down. The guards fled quickly, leaving just the kings and Claire alone in the throne room. She was still staring at the smoldering ambers and charred marble floor.

"Tesoro?" He murmured, leaving his throne and slowly approaching her. He reached out, his cold hand brushing against her cheek. She leant into his touch, her piercing gaze shifting to him. "Are you alright, amore?"

"I thought that would be harder." She admitted with a quiet voice, uncertainty clouding her expression. "Should I feel bad, Marcus? I killed someone, but I feel nothing."

He took her face gently in his hands, staring vehemently into her grey eyes. "Don't fret, mi amore. You're allowed to feel as bad or as good about it as you want. And we are all here for you if you need us. This doesn't make you a bad person, Claire."

He kissed her forehead tenderly and she sighed, her eyes drifting closed. There was a moment of silence before Caius flitted to them, Aro drifting closer too.

"We're so proud of you, piccolo." The blonde king fussed as she shifted her attention to him. "But if you never wish to participate in our executions again, we won't force your hand."

Claire smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Caius."

Aro clasped her hand and pulled her away from his brothers. "Now, let us show you your quarters. You must be exhausted."

His hand slipped to her lower back, guiding her around what was left of Santiago and leading her out of the throne room, leaving the other two men to follow swiftly.

﹌﹌﹌

After traveling down winding hallways she has no hope of navigating alone, they came to a stop in front if a large set of ornate doors. Unlike the rest of the castle, it wasn't dark and worn. Instead, they were freshly painted in a warm white shade and the intricate filigree had been newly gilded.

"Caius, did you tell Chelsea that she could use our account for this?" Aro scowled at the door. He hated to think what the inside looked like, or how much it had cost them. Then again, it was for Claire, so he wouldn't want any expense spared.

"Maybe..." Caius looked sheepish. "Okay, yeah. Of course, I did. This is for la nostra regina, money is nothing in comparison."

"Thank you." She spoke up quickly to stunt any further bickering. "I can't wait to see it."

With a deep sigh at his idiotic brothers, Marcus stepped around them an effortlessly pushed open the heavy door.

The room was bright an airy, the sheer curtains that covered the windows fluttering in the breeze. There wasn't a cold stone wall in sight, instead the walls were painted to match the door, with gilded wainscoting from the floor to the ceiling. On one wall was an oversized bed with a canopy of more sheer fabric and too many expensive looking pillows. On the opposite wall was a dressing table with a large, elliptical mirror. Its surface was covered in neatly stacked boxes, all tied in ribbon, which looked to be a from a luxury jewelry brand. There was a record played sitting the far corner, sinning steadily as it quietly played some classical music she couldn't name.

"It's..." She was speechless. This was beyond her wildest dreams, she felt like a real princess. "It's beautiful."

She spun around and threw her arms around her kings, tears welling in her eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered, her like quivering.

"Of course, amore. Anything for you," Caius told her.

﹌﹌﹌

It had been a few days since Claire arrived at the Volterra castle, and she had made herself quite at home. Although she was never alone, she made the most of her new accommodation. Whichever king was with her was dragged around the castle, forbidden from giving her directions as she tried to learn the corridors by herself.

On the second day, it had taken her forty minutes to find the working kitchen, and another thirty to find her way back to her room again. In her misadventures, she had discovered their expansive library, and used her convincing puppy dog eyes to beg Marcus to let her borrow some of his rarer books. She also discovered their neglected courtyard, full of half-dead bushes, and many-a storage closest, filled to the brim with antique furniture and décor.

"Aro, Marcus!" She yelled, the doors to the throne room thrown open by the attending guards. She marched right up to the platform, ignoring the looks of bewilderment from the present vampires.

"Yes, amore?" Aro questioned, his brow raised at her sudden appearance. He spared a look to Caius, who was meant to be watching her, as he came flashing into the room.

"I just had a brilliant idea." She grinned at them, practically bouncing on her toes in excitement. Aro hummed and waved his hand to dismiss the guard.

"What is it, Claire?" Marcus spoke with curiosity. He knew she could be spontaneous, especially when presented with something that excited her. So, he wondered what his brother head mentioned.

"Caius and I were talking," she began, joining them on the dais and sitting on the armrest of Aro's throne. "He mentioned university again. I was going to say no because I'm quite happy where I am right now."

All three of the men smiled softly at her.

"But then, I thought, what if I did a business course? Because I've been thinking about it and spending every day at trials sounds mind numbing. I still want to do my part, so I could take over the castle, keep everything in line, do the human hiring and even manage your accounts."

They didn't have it in their heart to say no to her. If that's what she wanted to do, then that's what she would do. The thought of relinquishing even that little bit of control was scary, but they trusted her, like she trusted them.

"Of course, Claire. That sounds like a wonderful idea." Aro said, receiving nods from Marcus and Caius. "We'll get you enrolled as soon as possible."

She leant over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, you're the best."

Meaningfully, Claire cupped his cheek with her hand, sharing her thoughts with him before letting him go with a small smile. She skipped over to Marcus and then Caius, also pressing her lips to their cheeks. "I'm going to go hang out with Jane!"

In the blink of an eye, said vampire was waiting in the doorway for the physical older woman, who slung her arm over her shoulder and headed down the hall.

"What did she want to show you?" Caius questioned, taking his place on his throne.

"She wants to be turned after she graduates." Aro told them, chuckling in delight. "She doesn't want to be much older than she is now, because she doesn't to look older than us."

That earned laughs from his brothers, who were both as elated by the revelation. Soon, she wouldn't be in so much danger all the time, and she would be introduced to the vampire world as their reigning queen.