— 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟕 —
𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧, 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤

Family does not end with blood. In fact, as an immortal being frozen against time, most of one's family would not be related by blood.

This was not the full truth for Cassius, an immortal djinn.

He barely remembered his life before Lithiovai.

Cassius was born somewhere in the Middle East in the mid-1600s'. Lithiovai had traveled to the Middle East searching for djinn—he handpicked Cassius when he was a mere baby.

Lithiovai murdered his parents in cold blood and left the continent with a screaming baby Cassius strapped to his back.

He thinks that he may be a half-breed, while his species was not completely gone like Cassandra's, it was certainly on the decline. There were not many djinn left in the world.

He was pretty sure that his mother was the djinn and his father was a mortal. But Lithiovai had murdered both of them and Cassius had never had the drive to investigate them further.

What difference would it make? They were dead anyway.

But then again, djinn were immortal. Like the fae, they would eventually stop aging at a random time and remain that way until something came along and destroyed them. However, in recent years, the Djinn became cautious—making sure to stay out of harm's way so that they might stay alive.

Typically, djinn lived alone; unlike some other supernatural creatures, they did not have covens, clans, or packs.

They were a lone species.

Cassius, despite being on the more powerful side, was no different. From the moment he escaped Lithiovai, he was on his own. He kept in loose contact with his other siblings who escaped and only saw them every few decades or so, but other than that, he moved from place to place alone.

While he had to stay cautious—it was a bit easier for him to blend in. Supernatural creatures were rarely able to discern djinn from normal mortals. It certainly made it easier to stay in Lithiovai's blind spots, and he had never done anything to catch the Volturi's eye.

Therefore, he was able to stay in most places for a decade or two before moving on.

He stopped aging at some point in his mid-30s. A perfect age category in his opinion, he looked old enough to be taken seriously but he was not so old that one might consider him to actually be 'old'.

Cassius lived in London from 1990 to 2000, and in that time—he met someone.

Another djinn, actually.

A woman who had been born in 1957, her name was Stephanie. She stopped aging sometime in her early 30s'.

It was quite funny how they met, a misunderstanding on both their parts, a short gun war, a battle of wits, a small tussle later and they were getting married within three years.

Cassius never thought he would see the day. He was quite literally working as an accountant in London, living the most normal life that he could given the circumstances.

Somehow, it turned into him and Stephanie trying to live the most normal lives they could given the circumstances.

Just two djinn living their best married lives. At times, Cassius and Stephanie's life almost seemed like a Mr. and Mrs. Smith situation. An accountant, a broker, marriage, magic, and immortality.

Also lots and lots of guns. A weapon illegal for citizens in Great Britain to have.

Cassius was honest about his past to Stephanie, and for her own safety, he never told of her existence to any of his siblings. None of them knew that he was married—all they knew was that he was living a very boring and very average life as an accountant somewhere in London.

Of course, none of them knew that Cassius' idea of boring was marriage, magic, and guns.

It was hard for djinn to get pregnant given they were immortal. Unlike the union of two vampires, it was possible.

But it was incredibly hard if both were djinn. When a djinn copulates with a mortal then it was slightly easier. But to have a full pure-blooded djinn was extremely difficult.

Both Cassius and Stephanie themselves were considered half-blooded djinn.

Still as powerful as any full-blooded djinn, but half-blooded nonetheless.

And yet, despite all odds: Cassius knocked up Stephanie quite literally at 12:00 AM on January 1st, 2000.

They both suspected it had something to do with the new millennia and something with the force of magic blah, blah, blah: it's what they get for wanting to be in the middle of orgasm the second the new millennia hit.

Stephanie was quite content in blaming Cassius seeing as the whole thing was his idea.

But how was he supposed to know that it would turn into some miracle baby shit? To be fair, it's not that they weren't happy; of course, they wanted a baby. They loved the thought of being parents.

However; again, given the circumstances, it was anything but safe. Both of their parents had been murdered—Cassius's much more violently. Stephanie's parents dying was more of a combination of being unlucky and a freak accident.

Cassius was in a much more brutal situation and he was on the run.

If Lithiovai found out he had a baby—he and his entire family would be in immense danger.

Not to mention, neither he nor Stephanie had any clue on how to properly parent!

They were totally going to suck and fail at it!

The only 'parent' Cassius ever had was a psychopathic vampire hellbent on power.

However, it was not like there was much they could do—the baby was on the way and abortion was not an option when it came to the supernatural.

So, they did the next best thing: they went entirely MIA. Cassius cut off contact with his siblings and they both left London with virtually no way to track them.

Copenhagen, Denmark seemed like a nice place to raise a baby and strive for an entirely average life.

Or at least, act average for as long as they can. The baby would be a djinn, so it would eventually stop aging and grow into its magic as well.

They would need to train it to master its magic.

Cassius, as much as it pained him, would continue to hide from everything in his past. And that included his other escaped siblings—but that was the sacrifice a father had to make for their child. It was a sacrifice that Cassius would make a hundred times if it meant keeping his little family safe.

Meadow Iris Lynn was born on September 18th, 2000.

They had taken the last name 'Lynn' when they ditched London. Cassius, Stephanie, and Meadow were now the 'Lynn' family—an average Denmark household to the public. But behind closed doors: they were two scared parents doing their best to protect their baby and the small peace and happiness they had found.

Seeing as Cassius usually only checked in with his siblings every few years, it would be a while until any of them realized something was wrong and went searching. He only hoped that he was good enough to stay hidden from them all.

Unfortunately, when your siblings are one of the most powerful warlocks, the last faerie on the planet, an oni, and a kitsune: avoidance can be a bit tricky.

———————

Cassius yawned as he woke up to loud snores coming from next to him. He groaned at the noise, covering his ears before turning to look at where the noise was coming from.

His lovely wife was absolutely exhausted seeing as football practice for Meadow ran late last night. And then she had to stay late for a parent meeting on the upcoming matches for the year.

Who knew that kiddy girl's football could be so demanding?

But Meadow seemed to like it so who were they to argue?

Despite Cassius covering his ears, he snickered at Stephanie. In the next minute, he forced himself out of bed and shoved his feet into slippers with a loud yawn. He might have been immortally 36 for the rest of eternity, but damn, being a parent really is tiring.

Mortal or not.

Amazing, but exhausting.

He placed a kiss on his wife's cheek causing her snoring to cease and her to sleepily open her eyes.

"Cassius?" She muttered, eyes barely open but her voice still entirely British.

Cassius smiled. "Yeah, darling—we need to get up. We have to get Meadow ready for school before we go to work."

Stephanie groaned and hid under the covers. It was times like these that she missed being a new 20-year-old who had a stupid part-time job and could call out for the sake of sleeping in. Then again, when she was 20, it was the late 60s' and she was living in a little apartment.

"I know, I know, I'll be up in a moment," She rubbed her eyes.

Cassius nodded, pulling on his robe before leaving their bedroom. He had to make sure the dumpster was put out front before the dump truck came around. Then he would start on breakfast before he got ready for work.

It was his day to make breakfast and Stephanie's day to get Meadow ready for school. They flipped jobs every other day. However, Cassius was the better cook no matter how much Stephanie hated to say it.

The morning moved like any other, slightly chaotic, but entirely loving, and entirely average. Cassius took the dumpster out, made breakfast, and put on his work suit before walking downstairs to join his daughter and wife at the table.

Stephanie already had a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him. She was more of a tea drinker, hence her British roots. But Denmark as a whole was similar to America in terms of coffee.

He took his spot at the head of the table, rubbing Meadow's hair affectionately as he passed. She squealed angrily fixing her hair and claiming that it was "just straightened by Mummy, don't ruin it, Daddy!"

Seeing as both her parents primarily spoke English amid a variety of other languages—Meadow spoke English just as well as Danish. She was also rather proficient in Hebrew and Hindi.

The day moved as it typically had for the past seven years. Meadow went to school, and her parents to work. Stephanie picked Meadow up, they ran to the store and they arrived home to find Cassius in the kitchen having started dinner.

He greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek.

Stephanie sent her daughter to her room to start her homework so she could help Cassius in the kitchen. If Meadow ended up needing any help, she would ask one of her parents after dinner. But she was a rather smart child and was usually able to complete her homework by herself.

"I still don't know how I feel about the coach for this team," Stephanie sighed. "He's so... intense..."

Cassius nodded his head as he pan-seared the chicken. "Yeah, darling, but that's how a coach has to be," He muttered back, making sure each side was equally browning.

"It's a kiddie league, Cassius. They're all 6-8 out there," Stephanie rolled her eyes. "He can definitely be kinder to them."

"It's good to start toughening them up to the sport now though." Cassius lightly argued. "It'll make them better."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Meadow is six—she's doing it to have fun with her friends. I doubt she'll stay much interested as she gets older. She's always given me much more of a scholarly impression..."

"Really? I think she has quite the future in football. Might even make it to the professional leagues when she's older," Cassius shrugged.

Stephanie scoffed but smiled at him. "You know she can't even if she wanted. She'll always be more... inclined with physical stuff than everyone else. She would end up being too good and draw too much attention..." She said, hinting at the elephant in the room without actually saying it.

Cassius only sighed.

He and Stephanie both agreed that when Meadow turned twelve they would tell her the truth about everything. About exactly who and what she was and why she had to stay on the down-low to remain safe. It's about when her powers would start acting up.

They continued to speak with music playing softly in the background for another 20 or so minutes before they were setting the table.

"Meadow, come downstairs! Dinner is ready!" Cassius called before turning to his wife. "I'm just saying, Stephanie, she's already pretty good at football..."

"She is going to be good at any sport," Stephanie sighed. "It's not legitimate talent, it's genetics! It's her nature, you know this as well as I. We need to wait and see where her true interests lie, and if she wants to pursue sports... I don't know..."

"It is a natural talent," Cassius looked offended on behalf of their daughter. "Her genetics are natural, so it's natural talent! She's a superstar!"

"She is a superstar! She is a superstar equally with books and creativity as she is in sports! I'm just saying that a lot of it has to do with the fact that she's not going up against other supernatural children! She's going against mortals, and she is always going to excel against them!" Stephanie argued.

"So you don't think she could excel against other supernatural children?"

Stephanie held up a finger, her form now frazzled. "You know that's not what I'm saying. If we were in a perfect world and there were a significant amount of supernatural children that she was going to school with, of course, she would still be amazing! But that's not reality and it never has been—supernatural children of all species are far and few between! You know this!"

Cassius pinched the bridge of his nose. "Exactly..." He stopped himself short, furrowing his brows as he suddenly heard Meadow.

The little girl was talking, but she was still upstairs in her room.

"Do you hear that?" He asked his wife who sighed.

"Hear what...?" She asked almost tiredly before her ears perked and she heard the same thing as her husband.

Meadow was up in her room... talking to something... or someone...

Stephanie had called her to come downstairs almost five minutes ago. It never took Meadow that long, she was normally downstairs seconds after she was called.

"So you're like Tinkerbell?! Or like a Barbie Tinkerbell?!" Meadow cheered from her room.

Djinn had better hearing than mortals but they were on the lower end of hearing in comparison to other supernatural creatures. Therefore, Cassius and Stephanie could just barely hear whatever was going on in their daughter's room.

And maybe if Meadow was a child with imaginary friends this would not be alarming. But Meadow was not like that, she never talked to herself.

It was even more harrowing when they heard a light female voice speak back.

"Why does everyone always say that? But; yes, sweetheart, I suppose you can think of it that way..." The female voice was similar in accent to how Cassius spoke—a Colonial American one.

But if one listened hard enough, there was the slightest twang of a Scottish accent in there.

Cassius gaped in shock, but he was not scared. He recognized the voice and the presence he felt. It was concerning and slightly irritating, but his daughter was in no danger.

Stephanie, on the other hand, did not recognize the voice in the slightest. All she knew was that they were in hiding and trying to live an average life and there was a stranger in her six-year-old daughter's bedroom.

And if there was one thing about how Stephanie was as a mother—despite her having difficulties in understanding such a role—it was that mama bear don't play.

"Wait, Steph—!" Cassius tried to stop his wife, but she had already used her powers (which she had not for years) and bolted upstairs at uncanny speeds.

Cassius was quick to follow.

———————

It really had not been hard to find her brother: it was rather easy for Sandy, in fact.

She had a feeling that he may have not wanted to be found seeing as she had gotten no response from him for the past 17 years. Now he had been MIA for long enough that she was concerned and chose to come find him to make sure he was not in danger.

Especially given everything that had happened this year alone.

She had been in Brazil for less than a month ago, and from there she went to London and started her search for Cassius.

All Cassandra knew about the Volturi confrontation was that it went well for the Cullens.

No one had ended up fighting thanks to Huilen and Nahuel arriving just in time. The Volturi; however, was now trying to track down Joham as he was to be put on trial. It seemed they had yet to find him yet.

At least, that was the word floating through the supernatural world.

Thankfully, the Volturi had been keeping the situation with Lithiovai a secret. They did not want to aware Lithiovai that they knew about his plans for a variety of reasons.

Most of it involved the safety of their mate as well as their own safety. They were currently in no position to withstand an attack—that much was apparent based on Alice's vision. Aro still had much more scheming to do before they could go after Lithiovai.

However, back on topic, imagine Cassandra's surprise when she managed to track down Cassius only to find him living in the suburbs of Copenhagen? With a whole wife and child?

Cassandra could not believe that she was an aunt?!

She also couldn't believe that her brother hid this from her and the others! Actually she could. And she supposed understand—Cassius was in a rather unique position. He had this cute little girl to think about and protect.

This cute little girl named Meadow Iris Lynn who introduced herself as such when Cassandra casually hopped through her bedroom window out of pure curiosity. Surprisingly, the little girl was not scared—she was equally curious of the pretty lady who came to visit.

Meadow had eyes far too big for her pretty little face and a personality sweeter than sugar. Cassandra could not help but 'aww' at the adorable Danish accent Meadow spoke with.

Immediately, Cassandra knew that she would protect this child with her life if it came down to it.

Although, Cassius was no doubt going to be incredibly upset when he realized his younger sister had come snooping into his life. His wife was probably going to have some issues as well... given she even knew about the situation.

But Sandy figured that she should—she could sense that her brother's wife was a djinn. How interesting that they managed to conceive a child...

It seemed the luck of the Earth was on their side.

Other than shapeshifter's, full bred supernatural children were hard to come by no matter what the species was.

Cassandra was sitting across from Meadow at her kiddy table. Meadow, while she was none the wiser of herself being a djinn, was subconsciously using her magic in sensing her aunt. Meadow knew that Sandy was not normal from the second she saw her.

Sandy did not hide the fact that she was faerie and she was also her aunt, speaking plainly to her, to the little girl's excitement. Meadow now sat across from her throwing a thousand questions at once.

Meadow had never met any extended family. She often got sad when friends at school talked about their grandma or grandpa or auntie or uncle and she did not have any. Well, she thought she didn't have any until now.

To learn that she not only had an aunt but that same aunt was also a faerie was amazing.

Wait till she tells her friends about this!

As they sat talking—a blur of a person suddenly hit Cassandra from the side and had her pinned to the wall by her throat.

The fae's eyes widened, but she fought the instinct to thrash and electrocute whoever was attacking her. Mostly because she knew the woman before her was the mother of Meadow and the wife to Cassius.

Her sister-in-law.

"Who the fuck are you and how dare you come into my house unannounced? In my child's room?!" Stephanie hissed.

Cassandra's eyes were wide, and she could not breathe because of how tightly Stephanie was gripping her.

"Mama—no! Don't hurt the faerie!" Meadow screamed, now panicking as she tried to grab her mother from around her waist and pull her backward.

This, of course, did not work, but it did make Stephanie's brows raise in confusion.

"Faerie?" She asked out loud, now sensing the woman she held was certainly not human.

Cassius had been casually leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. There was an irritated look on his face as he took in the scene, he chose to wait a few seconds before calling his wife off his meddling sister.

"That's Cassandra, darling, my sister... the peaceful one, another escapee like me," He informed her with a long sigh.

Stephanie loosened her grip so Cassandra could breathe and speak, but did not let her move freely. Her guard was still up.

Cassandra coughed as air finally made its way into her lungs, still choosing not to try and get out of the hold. Even if she tried, she was not sure that she would be able. This woman had her in a rather compromising position.

"What? Cassandra, the fae?" Stephanie asked.

Cassius nodded his head before looking at Cassandra. "So what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from my second-favorite sibling? Especially when it is quite apparent that I don't want to be bothered by any of you?" He snapped.

Cassandra adorned an offended and slightly hurt look that made Cassius feel bad. Perhaps he had been a bit too harsh—Sandy had never been anything but kind to him growing up.

They'd been really close as kids too: them along with Nicholas.

"Second favorite? Who beat me at first?"

Of course, that is what she was concerned and hurt by.

"Nicholas," Cassius sniffed. "He doesn't meddle as much as you. So again, why are you here and how exactly did you find me?"

"You call this hiding?" Sandy asked in disbelief. "It took me like a month, if that, to find you! You literally have a Facebook with your location in some of your posts!"

Cassius cringed along with Stephanie. Okay, they would admit, not their brightest moment. But all the other human parents had one where they posted themselves and their kids. They only wanted to jump on the bandwagon!

Besides, there was no way that Lithiovai of all people had Facebook. If he found them, they doubted it was going to be because he looked them up on Facebook.

Stephanie fully released Cassandra at those words, awkwardly going to stand at her husband's side. She cringed even further when their daughter hugged Sandy's waist—apologizing profusely on behalf of her mother and claiming they'd never want to hurt a faerie.

Maybe Stephanie had allowed Meadow to watch the movie Tinkerbell a time too many.

Cassius only rolled his eyes before trying to defend himself.

"We take nice family pictures, okay! And Meadow has too many achievements not to brag about it!"

Cassandra only scoffed in response, patting the head to Meadow who was still clinging to her.

Cassius continued. "This isn't the point! What are you doing here, Cassandra?"

Sandy pouted but narrowed her eyes. "I can't visit my big brother? Honestly, I can't believe you didn't introduce me to your wife or daughter! How rude!"

"How rude," Cassius mocked. "How rude of you to break into my house! You know exactly why I didn't introduce any of you guys, it's dangerous! I was already at risk enough by myself—now all three of us are at risk, and with you being here, even more so! Did anyone follow you here? Do the others know where you're at?"

"No," Sandy scowled. "I wouldn't lead danger here..."

"Not purposely, but we can't control everything!" Cassius hissed. "You need to leave!"

Sandy opened her mouth to retort, but surprisingly enough, her niece did it for her.

"No!" Meadow cried, hugging Sandy even tighter. "You are not taking away my FABFFL!"

Now everyone in the room looked at the little girl incredulously.

"What on Earth is that?" Stephanie piped up, staring at her daughter in pure confusion.

Meadow pouted. "My faerie-auntie-best-friend-for-life!" The little girl sniffed. "Auntie Sandy is my Faerie Godmother now! It'll be like Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty... or even Timmy Turner! Can you grant wishes like them?"

Cassius actually gaped and looked physically pained by the revelation of his daughter somehow already loving Cassandra.

Cassandra, on the other hand, grinned cheerily. She did not bother to tell Meadow that both her parents were technically genie's and by all accounts (according to legend) could grant people three wishes.

She also did not bother to tell Meadow that she was genie and had her own magic. Magic that could do ever so much for her.

No, if Cassius and his wife had chosen not to tell her, then it was for good reason.

By that logic... perhaps Cassandra was not supposed to mention the existence of herself being magical to the little girl either. Oops.

Well, too late now!

"Sure!" Cassandra smiled brightly instead.

"No!" Cassius snapped right after causing his daughter to huff sadly. "Cassandra—with me, downstairs, now." He ended firmly.

"But, daddy—" Meadow tried.

"No, young lady, go downstairs with your mother and eat dinner. Cassandra and I need to speak privately in the sitting room."

He stormed over, grabbing Sandy by the arm and dragging her down the stairs. Meadow tried to stop him but Stephanie picked her up.

Meadow tried to squirm out of her mother's grasp as her father and aunt disappeared, but Stephanie's grip was iron.

Stephanie herself tilted her head, her short and bleached blonde hair shifting as she did.

"Cassius and Cassandra, huh?" She hummed as she mumbled their names which were similar to hers.

———————

"What's her name?" Sandy finally asked after many minutes of silence.

"Stephanie," He answered coolly, knowing who Sandy was talking about.

"You still didn't answer my previous question, Cassandra? What're you doing here?"

Sandy huffed. "Making sure you're still alive, that you're not in danger. I lost contact with you sometime in the early 90s!"

"Ah, yes," Cassius clicked his tongue with a chuckle. "I do believe you were trying to convince me to fly to New York to see you in The Phantom of the Opera despite the fact that the original production was running merely a few blocks away from where I was living in London at the time."

"Yeah," Sandy gave a ghost of a smile. "None of you ended up coming—there wasn't enough time before I had to move on."

It was obvious who she was talking about. Their siblings. Despite the invites and begging them to come to just one show—no one ever came. Which was more than understandable, all of them together, especially when Cassandra was such a big name in New York City at the time was dangerous.

It was not worth the risk.

"Don't guilt trip me about that, you know it was dangerous..." Cassius sighed. "It's still dangerous—I love you, I'll always love and care about you, sister. But I need to put my wife and daughter first... both of us being together might catch too much attention. It puts us all more at risk..."

Cassandra's shoulders slumped. It was a nice dream—to live with his brother and his family for a while. Almost like in Forks, playing the part of a human. Except this time instead of playing the part of teenager and best friend to Bella Swan, she could actually help to raise this child.

Her brother was right though, she may have not intended to bring harm, but it was immensely selfish of her to come with no warning. She had got what she needed, proof that her brother was alive.

"I understand, I'll leave you and your family now, dear brother," She nodded, standing from the chair quickly and fighting the tears that threatened to spill.

This was embarrassing—she was over three hundred years old and she was on the verge of tears from being sent away.

"I truly would love for you to stay, sister, but it's not safe..."

"No, you're right," Sandy ground out. "Completely correct, me being here is dangerous, I'll go now..." She said, looking to the door.

She had to leave fast before she actually did cry. However, she paused looking back to her brother with a deep sigh. She almost forgot one of the reasons she came after him—her other siblings had received the message of the Volturi now being aware of their presence.

But she had not been able to reach Cassius until now.

"But before I do I must warn you that the Volturi are now aware of our presence and are on the lookout for us all..." She started only for Cassius to leap from his chair, his face horrified.

"What?!" He practically screeched. "What happened? How?"

Sandy looked at him blankly, her own heart tightening as she spoke. "It's my fault—I'm the mate of Aro, Caius, and Marcus..." And like that came the story that started in the late 70s'.

From when she first dreamwalked and realized they were her mates to the Cullens to the situation she found herself in now. She was guilty about it, but she did not mean to endanger her siblings.

Unfortunately, and all of them recognized this, they were collateral to each other no matter what. Despite their individual lives and choices, they would always be linked. They may have not been related by blood, but they were raised side-by-side. Trained as siblings, fought as siblings, loved as siblings.

And they all were on the run from the same man for the same reason: they were collateral to each other.

In a situation as delicate as this—for Cassandra to actually find her mates, there was nothing that could be done against the strings of fate.

Nevertheless, by the end of it, Cassius was sitting with his head tiled downward in his hands. His stress and fear just increased by tenfold, because now he and his family were also on the run from the most powerful coven in existence.

Not only did he have to worry about Lithiovai, Abigail, Thespian, and Adam; but now, he had to look over his shoulder for the Volturi!

It was silent for many minutes as Cassius had to think. Think about many things. Admittedly, he was also worried for the safety of his little sister.

It was no secret that as children, Cassandra was Lithiovai's favorite child. Abigail had always been jealous, always doing things to try to be Lithiovai's most prized possession. But seemingly without even trying, that title always fell to Cassandra no matter what. Even when the fae did not want to be his favorite.

Being Lithiovai's favorite was a scary thing—he watched Cassandra more than anyone else. Spent time with her alone, training her harder, and always kept her close to his side. It was a miracle she managed to get away with how close he kept her.

He loved her without a doubt, but to be loved by Lithiovai was perhaps even worse than being hated by him.

To be Lithiovai's favorite was a fate Cassandra never sought, yet one she could never escape. She never wanted his love, never craved his twisted affection, but somehow, despite her every effort to remain unnoticed, she was always the one he singled out. His eyes always found her in the crowd, and his hands always reached for her in the darkness. No matter how hard she tried to blend into the background, to be just another shadow among her siblings, she was always his chosen one.

Cassandra wished she could be invisible to him, like the others who managed to fade into the periphery of his attention. They were the lucky ones, the ones who received his contempt or, worse yet, his indifference.

To be his favorite was a curse, one that she had no power to break.

Lithiovai's love was a suffocating thing. It was not tender or warm but sharp and cold, like a blade pressed against her skin. When he looked at her, it wasn't with kindness or care; it was with a possessive hunger as if she were a rare prize to be coveted and controlled. His love was not given freely; it was a weapon he wielded to bend her to his will. And no matter what she did, she could never escape its grasp.

She never tried to please him, never sought to earn his favor, but somehow, she always did. Every action she took, every word she spoke, seemed to intrigue him, to draw him closer. It didn't matter if she was silent or outspoken, obedient or rebellious. Lithiovai always found something in her to admire, something to twist into his own perverse version of affection.

And that affection was a double-edged sword. When he loved her, he loved her with an intensity that was more terrifying than any hatred. His love meant control, meant scrutiny, meant pain. It meant she was never free, never able to breathe without feeling the weight of his gaze upon her. It meant his hands were always there, guiding her, molding her, hurting her, all in the name of love.

The more she tried to distance herself, the tighter his grip became. He would punish her for her silence, scold her for her defiance, all the while insisting it was because he cared. Cassandra knew better than to believe his lies, but that didn't make them any less suffocating. He would tell her that she was special, that she was his greatest creation, the one he cherished above all others. But she knew the truth: to be his favorite was to be his prisoner, trapped in a gilded cage where his love was the lock and his madness the key.

Being loved by Lithiovai was worse than being hated by him. Hatred, at least, would have been honest. It would have been straightforward and predictable. But his love was a twisted game, one she never wanted to play but was forced into nonetheless. No matter how much she tried to escape, she was always caught in his web, ensnared by his obsession.

Cassandra never wanted his love, never wanted to be his favorite, but that didn't matter to Lithiovai. To him, her reluctance was just another challenge, another reason to keep her close.

The last fae in existence: his faerie.

And Abigail hated her for it, always challenging and trying to prove herself better—more powerful than Cassandra.

Lithiovai thrived off the competition: loved pitting his two prized and powerful girls against each other.

Cassius himself felt horrible that Cassandra not only had to deal with that as a child, but now her mates, her fated 'loves' were three men who were probably not much better than Lithiovai himself.

In fact, to his knowledge—Aro in specific thought and acted in eerily similar ways to Lithiovai. Aro loved to make weapons out of vampires, it's why his coven was so successful.

But at least he was kind and giving to the young vampires he changed and practically raised. The feared twins of the Volturi, Aro's prized possession. Jane and Alec.

Cassius made a split-second decision, taking into account many things. Primarily his own sister's safety among his family's.

And the truth of the matter was that with the Volturi also seeking them all out then it was safer for Cassandra to stay.

Safer for her to be here and help him protect his daughter. Safer because if the Volturi found them they would be less inclined to attack as their mate was present.

"You need to stay," Cassius finally breathed after a long silence where he pondered the details of the situation. "I need you to stay with us, please. It's safer this way..."

Cassandra did not need to ask questions, because she was on the same line of thinking as Cassius.

And Cassius himself saw it in only the short manner that Sandy interacted with Meadow. She would lay down her life for his child.

Slowly, Cassandra nodded while looking to her brother.

"Okay."