✓ | 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒, Volturi Kings

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ⁶

ɴᴏᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ʙᴇʟʟᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴅᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴏʟᴛᴜʀɪ. ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴀɴɴᴀʟɪꜱᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴɢꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴅᴀʏꜱ.

Many things had been said to me during my life. I had grown up in foster homes with nasty foster parents for god's sake. Even after all of the hell that I had gone through in the foster care system, I was still susceptible to heartbreak like any other person. While usually hardened by my lack of friends for 16 years of my life, my emotions would show through at times like these, when I felt the keen sting of betrayal.

"Cara mia, why are you crying?" Marcus asks softy, rubbing circles on my lower back soothingly. I just continued to sob, unable to form words. I could hear Marcus sigh before he picked me up in his arms. I clung on to his coat for dear life as he closed the door to his room and brought me over to his bed. "Il mio amore, I can not try to help if I do not know what happened?"

"The- The let- letters," I managed to choke out. Marcus let out another deep sigh before kissing my temple. He sat on the bed and pulled me down gently to meet his chest.

"I know that four letters came in addressed to you, cara mia. Who wrote these letters?" He asks me.

"Carlisle . . . Rose, Ed- Edward, and B- Isabella. Carlisle and Rose's letters . . . were nice," I didn't want to explain what was in those letters. The spite filled words that Isabella Swan had written to me hurt. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will pierce your soul.

"I suspect that you are not crying over a kind letter from Carlisle or Rose," I shook my head and let out a high pitched sob. "You did not come in with the letters either. I do not believe that these letters were very kind, were they?" I shake my head into his chest. I felt my tears start to dry as he held me.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "You have things that you need to do."

"Never apologize for interrupting my work, cara mia. I understand that words from former friends and family can hurt. I am sorry that you had something cruel said to me. What did Isabella and Edward say to you that hurt you so?" Marcus asks, running his large hands through my long brown hair.

"They- They called you monsters. They said that if I stayed with you I would become a monster. Am I a monster?" Marcus shakes his head at me and almost crushes me in his grip. "Isabella called Aro a sociopath, Caius a psychopath, and said that you would never love me because you are hung up on your dead ex-wife. She called you unloving and unlovable. She said she never wants to speak to me again," I explain.

"At one point everyone thought the same. My soul brothers have to put up an act. Aro as the one who makes all of the decisions, Caius as a vengeful monster, and myself as a depressing slab of stone. While some parts of all of that are true, we are still subject to change just as anyone else is. I do not consider myself or my brothers monsters. We just keep things in order. When there has been chaos, we have been the ones to fix it, no matter the cost," Marcus admits.

"So you were a depressing slab of stone?" I set out a small laugh.

"You know, I never thought that I would ever feel okay again. When I first saw our bond, I couldn't believe it. After three millenia, my true mate had finally come to me, had found me in this old place. I saw you connected to my soul brothers as well. I knew just how awful things had gotten around here for them as well. This bond that we have, it is our greatest strength. If you hadn't come, the Volturi would have likely fallen. We have gone on too long without our queen."