Everlasting (Volturi Kings)

Ch-4 Mates

Mate.

The single word that plagued the heads of the kings and the mysterious woman. In a good way.

Celine was anchored to the ground. She tried to speak but the words were caught in her throat. A person would only have one mate, but she felt the pull to all three of them. She wasn't scared as much as before. Only surprised.

The vines slowly retracted back into the ground and roses emerged in place of it.

Marcus took a step forward cautiously but she didn't back away or showed any signs of him being a threat. He slowly walked to her.

He could sense a strong golden thread that connected him and her and also his brothers.

"May I?" He held out his hand.

Instead of replying, she stiffly placed it on top of his. His touch felt soothing to her and she relaxed.

He could sense the bonds clearly now. She was their mate. Right now, his was the strongest because of the physical touch.

"My name is Marcus." He introduced himself.

She bit her lip. "Celine."

He grinned. "Named after the moon goddess. It suits you. Even the hair matches." He tried to find words but all he wanted to do was to stare at her eyes for all eternity.

Where he found his words embarrassing, she found it soothing. She gave a faint grin and mumbled. "Thank you."

Caius also walked to her and she didn't mind the other vampire that subtly interrupted their moment. She moved away from Marcus but still held his hand and placed the other hand on Caius' cheek. "Hi." She shyly greeted.

His lips curled up into a smile. A smile that was very rare and every one except Celine looked stunned for a moment.

"Hello to you too, Celine." He greeted back and put his hand on top of her's.

"What is your name?" It was a fair question because he knew her name.

"Caius."

She nodded and her lips curled into a small frown as she looked at Aro who stayed behind in his place.

"Why are you just standing there?" She asked confused.

"Aro is gifted, dear. He can hear every single thought and everything you saw with just a touch." Marcus explained to her.

"It doesn't matter." She stepped away from the two of them and stood infront of Aro. "My life isn't all that interesting." She said as she took his hand and placed it on her cheek.

Aro's eyes widened before narrowing. Celine couldn't figure out anything from his expressions. "Is everything alright, Aro?" She questioned.

He seemed dazed. "Yes I'm fine, cara."

"Your face says otherwise."

"I can't....read your mind. It's blank. Like Matteo's." He glanced at the guard member.

She followed his eyes to see a black haired and tall vampire who had an unreadable expression.

"Celine?" Aro called.

"Yes?"

"Do you know....about.." He couldn't find the words to not make it sound offensive.

"What I am?" She finished looking unbothered.

He nodded.

"I don't know. My earliest memory was when I was an infant. There was...this woman. She had silver hair and icy blue eyes. She was talking to me, I don't remember about what..

Then she placed me close to where they are standing." She gestured to where the Guard was standing.

"Before she left, she asked...'Gaia to protect her daughter' and she was gone. Then another woman heard my cries and she found me. She was a vampire and the woman I call my mother. Geraltine." She smiled sadly at the mention of her.

She didn't notice the faces of every vampire turn grim. "From then on, she taught me how to play music and dance. Made me read every single book she brought from the outside world. It was all alright until recently...." Her face turned sad and Aro rubbed his thumb on her face for comfort.

"...In the past two decades, she was acting oddly. She was becoming paranoid. She built a shield around the forest." She paused, narrowing her eyes.

"How did you break it?" She asked him.

"Matteo has the gift to create and break shields. Don't worry, Celine. None of us will hurt you." He promised.

"Alright...as I was saying, she woke up at the crack of dawn and might only return at midnight. She gets paranoid sometimes. She told me that...." She thought of her words carefully.

"What did she tell you?"

...that there were a group of vampires trying to hunt me down for my powers and she never told me who.

"She told me that she loved me. Even when she's not around." She technically was telling them the truth.

"Do you love her?" Caius asked from behind.

"Of course I do. She's my mother." She said without any hesitation.

"Let's talk about something else. What about you?" Marcus tried to change the topic.

"Well, there is nothing interesting. All I ever do is play music which is the only thing I ever love to do...as in the only thing I get to do."

"What about your diet?" Aro asked.

She found the question a little weird but answered it anyway. "I eat human food while my mother drinks animal blood. She tried to feed me animal and even human blood but I never liked it and she gave up after realizing that I was no vampire."

"How about-

She held a hand up. "Before we continue, I think I need to know who these others are. I think I deserve to know."

Aro blinked, taken aback by her bluntness. Caius and Marcus grinned at the fact that no one ever had survived interrupting Aro.

"Right...Well, this is Jane. She is gifted like all of them. She can cause mental pain." A blonde haired girl stepped forward and gave a small but genuine smile.

"The one beside her is her twin brother, Alec. He can deprive you of all your senses." A dark haired stood next to Jane and gave her a wider smile to which she returned one herself.

"This is Demetri. He is our tracker. That over there is Felix. His physical strength is his gift." Both of them gave her a wave and she silently giggled.

"And last but not least. Matteo, as you know can break shields and create ones." Matteo gave her a wink and she raised an eyebrow but smiled anyway.
Caius growled at him and he lowered his head in submission.

"Vampires live in covens, right?" She asked and the kings nodded.

"What coven are you from?"

Marcus was about to answer when a feral growl cut him off. Everyone turned their heads to see a black haired and golden eyed vampire baring her fangs at them.

Celine's looked a bit startled but she gave the vampire a worried look.

"Mother?"