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."

I let out one of my idiotic giggles. Marcus lets out booming laughter as the door to the bedroom opens, revealing Demetri, Santiago, and Afton, who held the letters that I had left in the guard room. Their jaws dropped as I continued to giggle and Marcus laughed.

"Queen Annalise, King Marcus, I have the letters that- I think we should be going," If Afton's face could have gotten any whiter, it would have. My giggles got louder as the guards just stared at the scene laid out before them. Their king and queen laughing and giggling on the bed. Must have been a scary sight for a coven of vampires.

Alec and Jane had found themselves outside the door, watching my mate and I as we found ourselves laughing at each other. I think that I may have scared the scariest vampire alive because Jane looked like she wanted to run or jump off a cliff.

"What are you all looking at? Believe it or not, Marcus can laugh and Caius can smile!" I cheer, allowing Marcus to attack me, before laughing at the rest of the guard members who were about to metaphorically shit themselves.

Oh, this was definitely going to be fun.

_________________________________________________________________________

While my time spent in the walls of Volterra, Italy, was spent just getting used to the guard and the other vampires that I would be seeing around the castle, it had come to my attention that I had not yet seen a trial. As dangerous as it would be for a human to be inside during a trial, I wanted to see just how my mates administered justice.

Thankfully, I had caught Aro right before a trial.

"Il mio amore, is there something that you need?" Aro croons, placing a kiss at the top of my head.

"I know that it may be a lot to ask for, but can I join in during the trials? I want to see how the Volturi administers justice in the vampire world," I ask. Aro growls protectively as a guard member looks at me a little too closely, like he wanted to make me a midday snack.

"I do not know if it is safe for a human to be inside of the trials, cara mia," Aro gives an open ended answer. I frown at my mate, wanting to see what went on all day. I needed to see what the job of justice giver would be like. I was more of an observatory learner anyways.

"Aro, I need to know how to do my duties correctly for when I become the true queen after turning. Look, I can bring along Demetri and Felix to guard me. You have a personal bodyguard anyways. I think someone said her name was Renata. Well, she can guard me from any physical attackers," I try and make a compromise. I knew that Aro really didn't want to say yes, but the fact that I was giving him a pretty mean scowl and the fact that I was his mate sure did make him reconsider.

"Fine, tesoro, you can come in during this trial, but only because it should be a quick one. Just a simple case of feeding within the walls. I will warn you, the things that can go on inside of trials may not be pretty. Sometimes we must destroy vampires that break the laws, as we can not allow rulebreakers to roam or crowd up the dungeons," Aro warns. I nod and give him a happy smile. Aro called Demetri, who had been walking down the halls with Felix. "I am going to need you to guard Queen Annalise during this trial, as she wishes to observe the inner workings of our coven."

"Of course, Master Aro," Demetri bows his head before motioning Felix and I to come inside. Marcus and Caius were surprised to see my inside. They were both sitting on their thrones lazily.

My mates both gave Aro a hiss as he walked in, less than impressed with the prospects of their very human mate standing in during one of their trials, where a potential criminal could get their hands on me, or worse, their fangs.

"Brother, why have you brought Annalise into this trial?" Caius questions, a scowl plastered on his pale face. Marcus stares at Aro and I, most likely mentally asking the same exact question. "It is not safe for humans to be here during trial. She could get hurt! Annalise, cara mia, please wait until we finish up this trial."

"I am staying here during the trial, Caius, I want to see how your trials work. I will be perfectly protected as Demetri and Felix are going to act as my personal protection," Caius looks like he's about to blow a fuse. I walk over to his throne and stroke his cheek. "I can stay by your throne if you please. I know that you would never allow me to get hurt. Don't be mean to Aro, he can't resist my charms any more than you can," I tease.

Caius nuzzles into my hand as I sit on his lap. Both my other mates look annoyed that I did not choose to sit on their laps. Caius grins as I get myself comfortable.

A few moments later, with Jane and Alec at their side, a pale man with dark red hair comes in. He had to have been turned in his mid to late 30s as he looked much more mature than Caius or Marcus. Jane had a gleeful smile on her face, but it faded away once she saw me. I was glad that she didn't point anything out and elected to keep her mouth shut and go along with it.

"Sylvester, you have been brought here today because you have been suspected of feeding inside the walls of Volterra. As the entire vampire community knows by now, this is illegal," The man struggles under Jane's hold on him as Aro speaks, his voice clear and powerful.

"So what? The humans inside of this city do not matter! No humans matter. Not the ones in America or Africa, and most definitely not the ones here! Humans are our food, yet you barr us from feeding as much as we please, Aro. You are a tyrannical king who cares too much for the food that you eat! You speak about the laws, but here is your soul brother Caius, holding a human blood bag in his lap," Caius growls at the man and grips onto me tightly.

"You dare speak to your queen that way?" Aro starts to lose his composure. The man suddenly realizes who I am and takes a gulp, turning still as Aro gets up from his seat. "The woman with my soul brother is here on her first trial. She is here to observe. You see Sylvester, my brothers and I have found our queen, our true mate. If you dare call my mate a human blood bag again, I will order Jane to keep you here in the castle and torture you for all of eternity," Aro threatens.

"You are not supposed to be above the law! My coven will find me and they will destroy you for threatening me," the man tries to threaten Aro, but my mate just clicks his tongue and lets out a threatening laugh. "You will pay if you kill me!"

"I'm willing to take that chance, Sylvester. I will make sure to send your ashes to your coven in Germany. For now, burn in hell," Aro tears off the man's head with his two bare hands. Jane and Alec tear off the rest of his limbs and carry them to a furnace at the side of the room.

Caius kisses my head and wraps his hands around me. I giggle at his affection. I could feel Caius' smirk, even if I could not see it. The guards inside of the room stared at me in disbelief. From what everyone had said, Caius was the angry king, the king that always had something nasty to say. He never was that way with me, always kind and caring. Out of everything, he just needed a lot of affection.

That was a nice trial. Honestly, protective Aro is hot Aro.