Impressions of Three Men in Black

Impressions of Three Men in Black Part 4

Celeste went to sit in the garden, having asked Felix to take her there. He complied, but insisted on staying with her. It wouldn't do to have the Masters' new mate disappearing.

Sitting in the gazebo, Celeste looked up at the blue sky, scattered clouds floating toward the distant sea. She thought she might ask Aro to take her to see the ocean, IF he asked her what she'd like to do on his day. Caius had not, but he thought of her just the same, knowing she would be hungry. She did enjoy the dancing, surprised vampires could dance. But then, they had existed over centuries, and humans had developed different forms of dance. Why would vampires not indulge in that past time themselves. She'd have to ask one of them.

Celeste closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet floral scent exuding from the many roses and other blooms that filled the garden. She heard a slight rustling behind her. She turned to see Marcus walking up the steps of the gazebo, maybe it was more like floating. He had made no sound himself, but his leg brushing up against a bush was what Celeste had heard. These vampires moved like shades, making no sound at all.

The tall man with the long brown hair sat beside her. "You wouldn't be thinking about going back over the wall," he asked, a smirk on his face.

"Good morning, Marcus. What, run away, with that big tree standing guard over there, watching my every move? Hardly." She gave a wink to Felix, who left knowing Celeste was now in good hands.

"Besides, I have no where else to go. I'm down to my last few euros."

"Are you at least enjoying being here with us, il mio più caro?" Marcus asked.

Oh, no. He must have thought she only wanted to stay because she had nothing and no where to go. Oddly, that couldn't be further from the truth. "I am, Marcus. Caius showed me a wonderful time yesterday morning. We ate, well...I ate. We talked and danced, and he gave me a driving tour of the countryside. It was an unexpected pleasure. Caius was a gentleman in every way. Surprising, considering how he behaved when I first arrived."

"Caius has had...issues over the centuries. The loss of Athenodora, his mate. The near-fatal attack on him by the children of the moon."

When he saw Celeste's questioning expression, he clarified. "Werewolves."

"Werewolves? So they exist too?" she asked, wondering if witches, fairies, and mermaids were also real.

"Yes, and one nearly destroyed Caius. Since then, werewolves are the only things our brother fears."

"I can imagine," she whispered. "Marcus, Caius had a mate? What happened to her?"

Marcus wished Caius had told Celeste himself, but he would if just to spare his brother the need. "They had met long ago, when both were already vampires. They traveled together and eventually became a mated pair when our coven was established. She was killed during a fight against another coven. Later, Aro's mate, Sulpicia, was also killed during another attack. You must understand, the Volturi have many enemies."

"And your mate, Marcus?"

Marcus' mind drifted to the past, his beautiful Didyme beside him. "My mate was killed by a werewolf during an earlier battle. We went out in search of those who had killed her, but we never found them."

Celeste took his hand, squeezing it as much as she was able, his hand feeling like marble that had been sitting in snow. Marcus looked over at Celeste. She was to be his mate, shared with his brothers. She would belong to all three of them. They would want nothing more than to please her and make her happy. And hopefully, she would feel the same about them.

Celeste found her trust in Marcus growing. She knew it wasn't fair of her to feel that way, and hoped to spend time with all three of her mates equally over the next few weeks. Getting to know them intimately would take time, and she was still unsure as to what they expected of her.