ASTRAEA'S POV

"If there is an issue with the guards you have around the place-" I was cut off by Aro.

"That is not the case, I just want them to stop taking breaks all at the same time. My guards are usually better than this." Aro shook his head and tapped his fingers on the edge of his ancient wooden office desk. "Maybe they're getting antsy. We have two newborns who've shaken up the place. Gods know our family love to gossip."

I thought about it for a moment. That would make a ton of sense. When you find out someone new is coming over, you want to get a glimpse of them, introduce yourself. Maybe this was just bad timing and we needed something to help ease the situation. What did families usually do? The Volturi are supposed to be family.

This would be a lot easier if we weren't on the verge of war, wouldn't it?

"Would you feel comfortable throwing a ball at a time like this, tesoro?" Marcus asked our mate. "That is almost always our response to a new member of our elite guard. I remember when Jane and Alec first joined us, then when Felix and Demetri were turned. It would only make sense for their mates to get a chance at introducing themselves to everyone through a ball."

Aro tensed for a second before blowing some air through his hair. "How will we defend the event? If we invite other covens, will they feel safe? I know that the news of the Newborn Army will spread if we invite the Cullens. And that damn girl hasn't turned yet."

He raised some good points. If the guards couldn't defend the court or ballroom and someone attacked.

"You know, I kind of wish that girl actually had died cliff jumping," Caius snarked.

"No comment," Marcus said as he made a valiant attempt at not laughing.

He failed.

"If the two of you used the strong minds that I know you possess, maybe we could figure this out," Aro said sternly as he scratched his eyebrow. "I simply don't see how we can do all of this in a timely matter. What excuse other than showing off Ambrose and Astro to the rest of the community? Our image these days isn't as strong as it used to be, you know."

My face scrunched up in distaste. "That cannot be true, Aro. The world, all of those vampires in the courtyard probably trying to eavesdrop right now, they trust you three. Far more than they'll trust me. If we keep up morale here, the rest will follow."

To be fair, I hadn't been able to learn more about the Volturi these past few days. Aro had insisted on creating an evacuation route for me immediately after the letter had come. Then came the food storage and even plans on if a bomb were being threatened to be dropped on us all. I don't think a vampire could survive a high-pressure bomb, but we're beyond thinking about that right now.

Vampire politics are a thing I'm definitely not looking forward to. Not only am I not a vampire yet, no other vampires know me. We only have the word of the Volturi, who aren't known to keep people human. The trial of Isabella Swan proved that much for sure.

It also comes down to the fact that I'm not stupid. I know my strength, and it's nothing compared to a vampire. A newborn could tear me to pieces. That's the main reasons why my cousins are so freaking scared to be around me until they're almost out of the newborn phase of being a vampire, so they can gain more control. Each vampire has different control levels.

I could cut my finger and cause a disaster. Would other covens find it rude to not invite their newborn members? Even if it were because of me and my humanity, some older vampires might not remember when they were human and fragile.

"I don't want newborns near Astraea, Marcus," Aro argued. "But newborns usually meet newborns at these events. They have for millenia. We need a reason for the change or else we will seem as if we are keeping a secret. No more newborns in the castle. Astraea must be safe in her chambers at all times."

My head whipped around from Marcus to Aro as he spoke. Was he assuming that I wasn't going to be there? What did he think I was, some sort of child who needed a bed time? While I understood not having the ball at all because of the way things have been going politically, if we would have a ball I'd be damned if I wasn't invited.

I don't want to miss the chance at going to a ball. Especially if it's mainly for my cousins and the guard. And their mates. That feels like something I really need to be there for. It's like graduation but really its initiation into a vampire society and the elite guard vampires. As a older cousin I couldn't be prouder of them even if I tried. They've been so good about being newborns and learning, I need to be there.

"If there is to be a ball for my cousins, I'm going to be down there with them, Aro. I will not be up here." I insisted. "Keeping me up here wouldn't make any sense anyways."

"Amore, you know that you are human and that you are fragile, so why do you insist on coming to a ball we don't even know is happening?" I couldn't tell if he was going to lose his temper with me or not, but I wasn't going to let go on this one.

"You do realize they can already hear my heartbeat? Everyone can. I'm constantly being listened to because I'm one of ten people alive in here," I took in a deep breath before I continued, "Aro, darling, I know you want to keep me safe, but this is a big deal. Having a ball with your human mate is already a decision that you and our mates will have to make, but a secret human up in your room?"

Aro stared down at the ground after that.

Caius let out a deep groan, kicking his feet onto the desk, much to our mate's dismay. Not that Caius cared much right now. Battle planning is not a task I'd like to take up anytime soon. Every night he comes into bed absolutely mentally exhausted and ready to fall into a trance while listening to my heartbeat.

"I say we have the ball and only invite the covens that we know have enough self-control to be around a human for long periods of time. The Denali's, the French, the English. Perhaps some others. Not the ones with vampires under fifty. Old covens we have good relations with to enjoy in some cheer. I doubt they would have an issue with knowing about the human within our walls."

"The issue isn't that we have Astraea here, it's why. Our allies are nosy, much more than any member of our great family. They will pick apart any story we tell because the guard... they know, but they don't know," Marcus said as he put the book he'd been looking through down onto a desk. "We try to keep our private life as private as possible."

"Our allies still believe that we are married to Sulpicia and Athenodora, and that Didyme died two thousand years ago. Telling them that this was never true may be a shock to some of the newer members who were Christians before turning." So what he was worried about wasn't just secrets, it was about acceptance.

"To be honest, if they're actually still homophobic in the twenty first century I'll just kill them and make their ashes into something skimpy."

"We can't just murder people for disapproving of our sexuality." Marcus let out an annoyed sound before adding, "even if I would take great pleasure in doing so with you."

I laughed and picked up the book that Marcus had been checking out. A book on dresses. Who knew Marcus knew anything about that.

"If there is to be a ball," Aro said with a small sadness, "we will have a guard on you at all times you are not next to us. I will not allow for any disorder at such an important event. We will have you fitted for a dress and..."

When I waited and there was no answer, I urged him on with an, "And...."

"A formal address that you are our true mate will be in order, cara mia," Caius finished for our love. "With the population, it's advisable to be honest and uphold some sense of integrity with the crowd. I doubt they will be too upset with us with you, as you are a beautiful young lady. Plus they know nothing about you, so you have a chance to charm them."

Aro let himself relax a bit, staring off into one of the many paintings in this room. The classic family painting was made for them, but I noticed that Caius was not in it. He must have been the one to paint this one. It had many faces missing from it, and one that I didn't recognize. A blonde man who seemed very depressed, even if he smiled for the painting.

"We will discuss more about this after battle planning tomorrow," Caius declared, fake yawning to show he was tired.

---

The hardest thing about being a human in a castle full of vampires has to be that none of the vampires realize that the heating or air conditioning has been broken for two days. Only when I mentioned it to Caius while nearly freezing my butt off on a particularly chilly night did he make a plan to call someone, a human, about fixing it.

A week has passed since the initial discussions about the potential idea of a ball, and finally some deliberation has happened.

Aro finally relented when Caius made a comment about how we'd already consummated the bond through sex and asked why Aro was so scared to show their lady off.

If there's one thing that Caius is good at, it's shin kicking and hurting someone's pride. His mate isn't safe from that.

I'm not safe from that.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. My light blue flats clicked against the wooden floor as I opened up the heavy door, revealing Jane and Alec.

"I've been instructed to bring you to the dress shop," Alec said as if reading off a script. Caius must have put the fear of God in his own guards. "Your safety is our top priority, my Queen."

"And I'm required to help you find a suitable dress that relates to the spring theme," Jane completes. She didn't sound scared at all. No wonder, she could make anyone feel extreme pain if under the right circumstances.

While glad that I could finally spend some time with at least one of my cousin's mates, I knew that this was more of a business trip than anything else. My mates wouldn't let them take me anywhere else. Just go to the dress shop and come back looking prettier than a newly picked lily.

Knowing that I'd been cooped up for the past week, I thought I would make myself a little bit of fun with these two. I'd found out from some careful picking (and Athenodora) that Jane is a shopoholic. Give her any amount of money and she'll find some way to spend it. It's the main reason why Aro says he has her on a budget. She'll start impulsively buying cars she doesn't have a fake license for and almost get herself arrested. Though I can't really blame her, buying a red Porsche as a vampire would look really, really cool.

"I promise that I won't go running off without at least one of you on my tail," I promised. "The dress shop is right near the shopping center. It's not too sunny out right now, we could probably get away with doing some shopping over there. I need new clothes desperately and it's so hard to find my size. Mainly because it fluctuates from brand to brand."

The two of them looked at each other. Alec was the cautious one, obviously thinking that this was going to be a dress-only endeavor. Jane, however, seemed ecstatic about the potential for a shopping spree, as I fully expected. The little light in her dark red eyes was adorable.

Another silent exchange came between them, as I know is the way with many pairs of twins. Alec stared at Jane, and she stared right back with a little fluttering of her eyelashes. When her hands clapped together, I knew that she'd won the argument.

"This better not get us in any trouble."

---

If my mates realized that I was somewhere else in the city other than where they'd sanctioned myself and the twins to be, they didn't make it known. Well, Aro must have known, as he watches over my memory when I come home from anything related to outside the castle. As for the other two, maybe Aro would tell them later, but I doubt he would.

When I came back from my haul, which was the biggest one I'd ever had, I had spent too much. Just... too much. But Aro had told me to not look at the price tag when shopping, and I knew that my mates had more money than theyd ever be able to use in this world. Even a thousand sprees and we're still rich.

Some of the things I now had at my disposal were pieces of jewelry to "make my chest look better." Jane's words, not mine. I appreciated the gesture. Of the things Jane insisted I get for myself, angel earrings and rings were also a part of the deal. The aesthetic, she insisted, of a pure human queen. Since I wasn't coronated as the queen, she thought it best to use my humanity to my advantage.

Anything that she told me I should do to say safe in front of vampires I would do. That goes for my mates' advice as well.

Unfortunately one of the things that just comes with large shopping trips is finding places to put all of your clothes. I'd been given my own walk in closet, which hadn't been used by the kings, as they almost always wore their cloaks instead of fancy suits for meetings and trials. As another kind gesture, Jane was helping me put all of my stuff away.

"Never tempt an angry vampire."

It's partially a lecture hour for me as well.

"Okay, but what do I do if they haven't fed before the party?" I asked. "What if one of them gets hungry and causes a scene? I won't be hurt, I won't be anywhere without the kings or a guard, but what of others?"

Jane scoffed before realizing it was a genuine question.

"Oh, my queen, we're all forced to eat before balls. If someone is hungry, they're too young to be around humans. Those under a century often can't dance with humans without those temptations, so I doubt they'll be invited at all. Father would never put his queen in danger." She has a tiny smile on her face when she says father.

"I know Aro raised you and Alec."

"All three of them raised us. Aro is simply the one who turned the two of us. Caius and Marcus also helped with child-rearing. We were terrors, the two of us," Jane confesses. "The guard had a hard time accepting us as well. We were too young, in their eyes, to become elite guard members. I don't mean physically young, either. Unless you're an immortal child, we couldn't care less."

Ones turned before the beginnings of puberty. What a damn shame. Who would want to harm a child like that? Truly ruin any chances of survival and bending such innocence into cruelty. What's even worse is that apparently they don't understand who or what they are, only that they're hungry. Imagine being hungry for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, but not being able to be a person throughout that whole time. No memories, no life.

Jane finished unloading the last of my dresses into the closets because yes, Jane insisted that I have at least four.

What I would do with them, no clue. Hopefully they won't get dusty in here.

"Maybe they'll think I'm too young to become Queen," I mused. "In America I wouldn't even be able to drink. These people, these vampires - some of them are older than whole nations."

"It's easy to be older than a nation, it is harder to rule over one."

---

*Shoots this at readers and runs away*