Infinite Bliss || Volturi Kings

|26| BUD LIGHT

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT OF A SEXUAL NATURE BETWEEN CONSENTING ADULTS. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SMUT, DON'T READ. BUT HEY, YOU DO YOU.

Most of her important belongings were either scattered across her bed or somewhere on the floor by her feet, neglected after slipping off the edge of the mattress. A smaller suitcase than the main one she'd brought along with her to Volterra was open in front of her. There was everything she could possibly think of needing in there: two changes of clothes, a toothbrush, a spare toothbrush, three small tubes of toothpaste which she'd found in the adjoining bathroom, her iron supplements, and three books, and that only took up half of the space.

She let out a sigh as she closed the lid of the suitcase and began to pull the zipper closed. She'd be leaving the building in almost exactly 2 hours time. After that, arriving back she'd be a permanent resident of the castle. The thought made her feel both giddy and nauseated, not that she was entirely sure how that was possible. That combination of excitement and nausea was only making her feel more anxious.

There was a faint knock on the door.

She tugged a little at the zip to pull it fully closed. "Yeah?"

"I could hear your sighs from my office." Marcus lifted her fully packed suitcase off the bed and placed it near the door for her. Again, she sighed a little and sat on the edge of the bed. "Like that," he added in light amusement.

She chewed on her bottom lip and played with the sleeves of her cardigan. Unsure of her sudden quietness and somewhat discomfort, Marcus sat down beside her, leaving a small amount of space between them.

"Are you having second thoughts?" he asked her softly.

She froze, and then nodded her head slightly. "A little."

He tilted his head to the side. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Eliana shrugged her shoulders. "It's just . . . weird. I haven't . . . I don't . . ." She let out a small frustrated groan as she attempted to phrase her thoughts in a coherent way. "I . . . I haven't exactly gotten my head around, you know, everything in the first place. Everything's been so fast recently, and it's hard to keep up with sometimes. I just feel . . stunned. Does that make any sense?"

Fortunately, Marcus nodded in confirmation. "It does." He held his arms out, and she didn't hesitate to sit herself on his lap with her head on his shoulder. "It's perfectly reasonable to feel overwhelmed or stressed, but if you at any point, any at all, decide to change your mind or hold back, your decision won't be held against you. I love you, Eliana, and what's best for you is best for us."

She nodded her head as she registered his words. "I don't want to change my mind on this, though. I . . . kinda have a habit of putting things off, finding a reason to say no to things. I don't want this to be one of those things. It's just so different, and kind of intimidating to think about."

"Would you like one of us to come with you?" Marcus offered.

"No, it's okay," she replied. "It's not that I'm bothered about whether you do or don't, but I think I can do this myself . . . All of this, and I can't even tell my mother where I'm going . . ."

"I don't think she'd be too happy if you told her that you're moving to Italy to live with the three oldest and wealthiest beings on the planet," he agreed.

She sighed and nodded. The fact that she already had a life that she was leaving behind was something that hurt a little each time she was reminded of it. Maybe it would wear off, but this time it wasn't like she could ever return to her old life again.

"Can we talk about something else?" she requested. "I don't want to think about this right now."

Marcus smiled fondly. "Alright. What would you rather we discuss?"