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ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ:

ᴍɪʟᴅ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ

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Our room had not changed, but the atmosphere surrounding and encompassing it had. Filled with all sorts of things, I often found myself checking all of the nooks and crannies in order to find something to waste my time with. The room itself now smelled of peppermint and Mongolia's, my two favorite smells that came into play once I moved in with my mates.

"Astraea, what are you messing with this time?" I whipped my head around to see Aro watching over my shoulder as I took a good look at one of the many pictures in the room. Quite a few had their own air of mystery, as I noticed quite a few of the teenagers in them were not vampires at all. They held their arms out to reveal a tattoo of a phoenix on their wrists, a design that one would not expect on such young skin.

"I suspect that you would like an explanation for these photos," Aro sighed, taking one of them from the desk, "It was 1995 when we took this photo. The Order of the Phoenix had some new teenage members, much to Minerva and Remus' dismay, that wanted to commemorate their newfound membership with matching tattoos. We would have gotten them if vampires could get magical tattoos like these ones here."

"What do you mean by magical tattoos? These were infused with magic?" Aro chuckled and nodded. "You know people who use real magic? Not like the crazy witches that you see on T.V or in horror films, right?"

"Of course not, amore. All real and all safe magic. These children were some of my favorites. I have never met a people with such determination like that of the Wizarding world. They are hidden, which is why you don't hear much truth about them," I laughed and picked up a photo of Marcus standing next to a girl with bright green eyes like that of an emerald. "Oh, that is the wise child we were speaking about earlier. Elodie Vega is her name. Her family was a part of the original Order of the Phoenix during the first Wizarding War."

"Do you know everyone in these pictures?" he nodded, picking up one that looked much older and had a few tears on the edges. "This boy looks like that man."

"Ah, James Potter. Died during the first war, what a loss he was to the community. He died for the best cause any man could, protecting his child, the boy in the other photo, until his dying breath. That boy came to be known as the boy who lived because he survived the killing curse when he was a mere one year old," Aro explained. "His mother, Lily, was the one to make that happen, giving her life in place of the son she loved so dearly. She will always be missed by the Volturi, for she was one of the best people we have ever met. James loved her with all of his heart."

"He grew up without parents," Aro nodded once more. "Someone tried to kill a child?"

"Not all witches and wizards are good. Some are like the wicked witch of the west and need to be destroyed at all costs. The man who killed so many of these people or had his followers do it was named Thomas Riddle Jr, or as everyone came to know him, Lord Voldemort."

"Voldemort tried to kill him, but he survived. Against a mere child! Imagine losing a battle to a one year old. I would be mortified. Of course, I would never harm a child," Aro placed one hand on my shoulder and put some of the pictures away. "They stay hidden from everyone. What do they do when someone finds out? Will they erase my memory or something?"

"Not likely. Technically it is illegal for me to be telling you this, but the Ministry of Magic or the International Confederation of Wizards won't go against our judgement. Plus, you will be turned into a vampire at some point and therefore will be open to hearing all about the Wizarding community," my mate took a long pause before continuing, "You are the queen of the Volturi already, which means you may already be allowed to know based on how some muggle ministers know about their world as well."

"Right, I'm a queen," I remember, pushing away the rest of the photos, "What is that supposed to mean anyway? Is the vampire world some sort of weird monarchy?"

"It is in a sense. Since we are the ruling coven, we are considered to be royalty among those who we rule over. Marcus and Caius are just as powerful as me in their judgements, ones that we as kings will make together, and that same power does apply to you now. Use it as you see fit," I give him a confused look before moving back to our cozy bed, snuggling in right next to Marcus, who was purring up a storm as Caius played with his hair.

My purring mate let out a happy noise as I curled up into his chest. Marcus messed with my hair before finally moving it out of my face and behind my ears, making small annoyed vampire noises as he did so.

Caius moved behind Marcus and watched me over his shoulder, peppering delicate kisses to our mate's jawline. I moved my head up to see that Aro had moved over onto the bed, now behind Caius and playing with his blonde hair. Our blonde mate let out a whine as Aro worked out some of the knots that had formed in his hair over the course of our day.

We were all so peaceful in that moment, just enjoying each other's company.

Oh, how I wished that it could have stayed that way for a little bit longer.

"My kings, my queen, there's been a break in!"

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Whatever had been stolen or whoever had been potentially hurt did not matter in that moment. My mates were up within a second, with Marcus right by my side. Felix had given us the news of the day.

Someone had broken into the castle.

"What are the damages, Felix? Are the guards okay? My sister?" Aro pestered him with questions to which he nodded. "Is everyone secure in the towers? What about Vinna and her playmates?"

"The Phoenixes are fine, Aro, just a bit startled. Vinna made sure to cause a riot once she heard them coming inside of the playroom. Heron and Hermes are looking for you as we speak," Aro nodded before opening the door. On the other side was a large bird with bright red and orange feathers.

"Come here, Heron, let me bring you to daddy," I giggled as the bird cheered with excitement in Aro's arms. This bird was unlike any I had ever seen before. A phoenix. Must be magical or something because we don't have much knowledge on their lore. Oh, he's so beautiful. How did they get them?

"Hello, Heron," Marcus cooed at the bird, allowing him to crawl up on his shoulder, "I'm sorry if those idiots disrupted you. It's right about nap time, isn't it. You can stay with us for now. I can introduce you to Astraea. She's a muggle so she doesn't know how to handle you just yet, but I am sure she will learn with time."

"Where is Hermes?" Caius asks Felix, who shrugs. "Damn free spirited little bastard. I hope he hasn't gone after the intruders."

"Santiago and Afton are working on catching them, but Demetri is having a bit of trouble using his gift on them. We suspect they are an Occlumens," Caius nods, moving past Felix into the hallway. I watched as my blonde mate moved down the hallway, looking out all of the windows with ease as he used his vampire speed to his advantage. Poking his head out, he growls as his eyes focus in on one spot down in the courtyard.

"This asshole," Caius swears as he jumps down to the ground below. Aro whisks me up in his arms as he takes me down to where our mate was targeting the rogue vampire who had broken into the castle. "Get over here, you damned coward! Fight your kings like a damn man if you want to scare our coven!"

My own eyes targeted a single man with a grey hood not unlike many of the hoods that I had seen many of the Volturi guards use when walking outside during the day. His pitch black hair resembled that of Aro's, but his face was sharp and cutting as he made his way to the center of the courtyard. He had no fear in those red eyes of his as he spoke with fake authority and grandiose,

"You call yourself a king, but you can't even secure your own castle! How far the Volturi have fallen from the times of the Romanians. They will be pleased to know that you are defenseless, housing blood bags. Look at the one that clings to you like a broken ragdoll. A pretty face will not keep you safe, child, for vampires are perfection."

"This stupid Romanian," Caius started, only to be silenced by the crow of a bird. "Hermes I'm fine."

"Playing a Phoenix like it's a pet? You should be ashamed of yourself! You are ungifted and never had magical blood in the first place! A Phoenix is a majestic creature, not one to bring around like some common cat. If you are not taken down by Vladimir and Stefan, I will have the ministry bring you down for possession of an exotic magical creature without a license," Marcus chuckled at his empty threats and took one step towards the Romanian man.

"Speaking with such hate... it is refreshing for everyone in our coven to see just why we cannot allow those two pigs to rule over our species," the man let out a hiss. I noticed his eyes, those red eyes, they weren't like my mates'. These eyes of his, they were like ruby or a bright carmine. They look like Ambrose and Astro's eyes. The eyes of a newborn vampire.

"Frankly you have no right to say anything against our companions considering that we raised them from hatching. More than that, the Mistress of Magic happens to be a close ally and friend to the Volturi and our outer circle. I would ask you to tell Vladimir and Stefan that they need better threats, but you signed your execution papers the second you broke into our home," the newborn vampire looked all around, almost like he was a caged animal.

It was at that moment that Caius ripped his head off. The loud crack that came with it and afterwards made me cringe and want to cover my ears to avoid such a noise. The sound of a vampire's decapitation would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"They got too close," Aro says. "This was a message. They don't care about anything other than their own power. We have to be careful. Our walls cannot be breached again or we risk everything that we have built."

"We put more guards on patrol," Marcus says, almost declaring it as an order. "We have our best guards on the outer perimeter at all times. We will not lose against those savages."

"This is more than a message, Aro," Caius states, "This is a declaration of war."

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I hadn't expected my first month in the Volturi castle to bring a new world into my frame of reference, and I certainly hadn't expected a looming war with the Romanian coven. It was all that was ever talked about between the guards now, with some worried and some ready and willing to kick some Romanian ass.

My cousins were still learning how to use their gifts and only came out of the training rooms to go back to their rooms, which I knew were right next to one another. I haven't seen them since our chat and don't suspect that any meetings will take place for some time due to their newborn vampire status, but I had learned to accept that. Even if I wanted to see them, it was better to allow them time with their mates just as they had allowed me time with my own.

I was still worried that whatever was about to happen would change the course of my life. Some inner part of me longed for what was normal and what I had once known. All of the new changes happening in my life were coming one after the other, never giving me any time to recollect myself and move on.

Working themselves to the brink, my mates had not found much time to do anything other than prepare for the potential battle between our coven and the Romanians. I could tell that they were stressed, upset, and frustrated with each other and the vampires around them, so I did my best to calm them down once they came into our room for snuggles and affection. It worked quite well considering the circumstances of our life.

Looking out of the window, I see many humans and vampires scurrying across the streets right next to the castle. My eyesight may have failed me before, but I could have sworn that I saw some of my old classmates running into the shops nearby, never willing to look up at the infamous castle.

Everything looked so peaceful from up above. With all of the motion on a nice summer day, many of the groups that ran across the sidewalks of my home city found themselves getting hot or needing to spend more time in the shade. I laughed as I saw a father playing with his son. Mr. Ricci always had a sense of humor that came into play with young children.

Only a few moments later, I saw Mr. Ricci's wife come down from their shop to give him a kiss on the cheek, taking her son in her arms. It had taken them so long to have a child of their own, with Mrs. Ricci even thinking she was infertile for some time. Alas, two years ago she was able to have Rocco, one of the most energetic children I had ever seen. Even as a baby he brought his own air of mischief wherever he went. Ambrose and he always had fun when my cousins would babysit for some extra cash.

"What are you looking at today, amore?" Marcus asked from behind me. "Lovely family down there. The local population is booming."

"The Ricci family. We were pretty close," Marcus hums and peers out the window with me, careful to not expose too much of his skin while humans down below could potentially see. "Did you ever think of having a child of your own?"

"At one point it was all I ever wanted, a son of my own to raise. Or a daughter, either would have been fine. Unfortunately as a vampire I am unable to have children," I sigh, remembering what Aro had told me last week about vampires being infertile and vampire children being illegal due to their inability to exercise control over their bloodlust and their generally sadistic tendencies. "If there were only a way."

"Maybe one of those witches you know will find a way for you to have children," my mate chuckled and kissed my head. "I bet they've already found out how to screw with the nature of things."

"Gel is close to finding out how to turn an egg into a sperm, so maybe," I turn around to see his somewhat saddened expression, "I would not get my hopes up. Human biology is easier to mess with than vampire biology, especially since most spells do not work on a vampire."

"Well, that Gel person is doing a service for the poor lesbians who want babies," Marcus had to cover up his mouth to stop himself from laughing. "You have to do it for the ladies. Wait, do they know that you are a fellow non-straight person?"

"She guessed and we didn't cover it up too well. The Wizarding community aren't that homophobic at all. Only the most extreme pureblood families don't like homosexuality and they only don't like it because they won't be able to spread their pureblood genes."

"So there are wizard racists?" Marcus sighs and nods. "What even makes someone pureblood? Do they just have only wizards and witches in their families?"

"Essentially. No Muggle ancestry. Muggle is just another word for non-magical people. If the wise child ever gets her butt over here you'll hear her use the term frequently. She's a pureblood but she isn't racist about it. Her husband comes from a racist family but she's fixed his perspective on Muggles, Half-bloods, and Muggleborns. The racist families teach their children that Muggles are evil and that they'll try and kill you if they know you're a witch or a wizard."

"Are they wrong?" Marcus shrugs and closes the window. "Why did you do that? I love looking out the window..."

"It's getting too bright out, tesoro. Simple safety precautions," I whine and get up off of where I had been relaxing. Trying to walk out of the room, I feel Marcus tense up.

"What is it, Marcus?" I ask, sensing that he had something he wanted to say.

"Staying in the room right now would be much safer," I rolled my eyes and watched as my mate walked behind me. "You are human and being inside of this room, which is by far the safest room in the whole castle, would be best."

"Keeping me cooped up isn't good for my mental health," I point out. "Please don't force me to stay inside, Marcus. I know that I'm human but there are guards all around the castle that could tear any vampire apart if they even looked at me the wrong way."

"Amore..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say to my reasoning. I knew where he was coming from. I still was human and made of glass compared to any of the vampires inside of the castle.

"Please, Marcus. I know that things are tough right now with the Romanians but I still need some freedom to move around the castle. I can't just be confined to one room, no matter how safe it is," I pleaded with him, turning around and watching as his eyes turned darker with an unknown emotion. "A tiny bit of freedom is all that I'm asking for."

"All I want is for you to be safe," he whispers.

"I know, Marcus, I know," my mate brings one hand to my face. I look away as he chuckles, bringing me closer to his body.

"Astraea," he teases, rubbing a hand over my flushed cheeks, "You look gorgeous today, mia regina."

"What are you doing?" I whispered. He stayed there for a second, gazing deep into my blue eyes, before he brought his head down, kissing my lips. I closed my eyes and let out a small whine as he pulled my chin up, deepening the kiss with newfound passion. My hands found themselves wrapped around his neck, my mind wrapped around him and all that he was to me.

Our lips parting ways, I opened my eyes. Marcus' eyes were almost completely black as he looked down at me.

My cheeks felt like they were on fire as my mate connected our lips once more. This time he was far more dominant with me, his hands roaming all about my body, touching me in some of the sensitive areas of my thighs and hips. A low moan left my lips as his hands came dangerously close to my ass.

"Marcus," I whined as I felt my body start to heat up. My cheeks burned scarlet as my mate's hands dipped under my shirt, feeling my bare skin up.

"Il mio amore," he whispered against my ear. His slender fingers sent flashes of heat through my body as he grazed over my pelvic bone.

"Please," my legs felt like they would give out at any second as my king pressed an open-mouthed kiss to my neck, teeth grazing over one of my veins. "Please. I want you."

My plea was all that he needed, removing his hands from underneath my clothes and moving me to the bed. Marcus sprawled me out on our bed, spreading my clothed legs.

I felt like my body was on fire from the passion that burned inside of me. My chest tightened as he pulled down my skirt, leaving the bottom half of my body almost bare. Marcus groaned at the sight, eyes obsidian as he took in what was right in front of him.

Moving up closer to me on the bed, my breath hitched as he found his way into my crotch. Oh my god this is really happening. There's a hot vampire in-between my legs. A really, really hot vampire.

Pulling off my underwear, my mate spread my legs further apart, sending shivers down my spine. I wanted him so badly. I thrusted my hips up, hoping that he would give me what I wanted. Lucky for me, he did, his tongue lapping around my clitoris.

"Yes," I moaned out, feeling pleasure start to build in my pelvis. I looked down at the sinful sight before taking a tuft of his long brown hair in my hands. As he continued to work my clit, I tugged. Hard.

It wasn't long before the fire that burned inside of me would start to reach a peak, with my small moans of pleasure increasing with my pants and desperate pleas for more. Sharp pleasure shot through my body as I came with a broken cry of his name, my grip tightening and my head rolling back onto one of the pillows on our bed.

"My Astraea," Marcus whispered against my thighs. "You taste so good, amore."

Our eyes locking once more, my mate moved up and connected our lips once more, his tongue pressing against my own as I moaned. My hands trailed against his much harder chest, eliciting a guttural groan from him.

Marcus moved my hands away before I could attempt to unbutton his shirt. I whined at his rejection of my advances on him, wanting to give him something after he had treated me with his skilled tongue.

"Amore, I don't want to hurt you," I understood what he meant. A human and a vampire having sex... it was dangerous even when the vampire had as good as control as Marcus. All of my mates had control over their bloodlust, it was a matter of control over their strength, which could lead to me breaking or getting hurt if they lost themselves.

"We don't have to go the full way," I mutter just loud enough for him to hear.

My mate gave me a loving look before allowing me to take off his shirt. Even after all of the times I had touched their skin, I marveled at how it was so hard yet flexed under my fingers.

Getting up and pushing him down on the bed, I hear him laugh at my newly found dominance. Blush still stained my cheeks as I fumbled with the zipper on his jeans, finally able to take them off and see the bulge that was now in full view.

A satisfied groan left his lips as I rubbed him through his underwear, black eyes focusing in on me. Slipping off his black boxers, his hard cock sprang out and hit his pale chest.

My mate watched eagerly as I placed my mouth over the tip, letting out a low moan as I took a bit more of him inside. Getting a reaction out of him got me off in ways I didn't think were possible.

I let out moans of my own as I bobbed my head up and down, steady in my movement. Marcus growled as my tongue swirled around the head, reaching out to grip my hair just like I had. Continuing to bob my head up and down, I look up at him with a slightly teary face and almost gag as he thrusts up into my mouth.

"Fuck," He seethed as I sucked on his tip, "You feel so fucking good."

Loud groans and grunts fell through his lips as I sucked him off. I knew he was getting close when his cock started to twitch in my mouth. My mate thrusted into my mouth every few seconds, panting heavily as he came closer to his own release.

"Shit, Astraea, I'm going to-" his own groan of pleasure cut off his warning as he came into my mouth. I gagged a bit, but swallowed all of his release with relative ease.

Taking my mouth off of him, I move further up his chest to find a nice place to rest my head. Marcus chuckled and placed a soft kiss to my hairline. "You alright there, il mio tesoro?"

"Si," I whisper into his chest, my jaw tired.

"You gorgeous woman," I smiled at the compliments he gave me, "I could just keep your beautiful self here in this room forever."

"Oh yeah, I am in here," I cringed at how raspy my voice sounded compared to before I had my mate's cock shoved inside of it. "Got me to stay inside. Seduced me into staying on the inside."

"Mmm, seducing you did work," I giggled and moved the blankets over us.

"I'm tired," I mumbled, my eyes droopy as my mind begged me for sleep. "Stay with me until I wake up?"

My mate nodded. "Sleep, mio angelo."

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ꜱᴏ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ɴᴏ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ.

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