ANNALISE'S POV

WIth Heelie safe and sound back at home, working his butt off at school, and my mates and I drafting my official coronation that is to come after I marry them, we're packed on time. If I'm being honest, I haven't thought about much of anything other than my family and my job here as a queen in weeks. There's no peace like a wedding, and invites haven't even been sent out to coven houses yet. Well, except to Alexandros'. He'd been in on the proposal, the sneaky bastard.

The unfortunate thing is that besides a select group of people like The Coven That Shall Not Be Named and the remaining Romanians, we must invite everyone. Even the people who Caius cannot stand, and those who Aro is sure will attempt an assassination if they found him alone. Marcus says we have to do it for political reasons, but I can't see why we can't just Barr them from the wedding and let them into my coronation.

Nevertheless, I have too much work on my plate for the 24 hours in the day I have. The wedding is planned for August, when the weather in Volterra should be wonderful. No human attendants, we've made that clear, and it'll be in the castle itself so we can have guards around to make sure no sneaky You Know Who's or Romanians come into the chapel at the West Wing.

I can't believe I left that ink in my office, I scolded myself as I grabbed my black bag. I couldn't do anything official without the right set of ink. Aro's picky and I'm not dumb enough to argue with him about a stupid pot of ink. I need to write the first draft of the invitations, then go over it with Marcus and Caius. The meeting with the dressmaker is next Saturday and the gown should be done in a month or so... What am I missing?

Not shaking the feeling of forgetting an important detail as I casually walked down the hallways towards my freshly painted office space, I said hello to Harb and Demetri, who were carrying a stack of papers I assumed was their weekly load of paperwork. Which reminds me that I have to do all of mine by next Tuesday. There's another trial on Wednesday and then on Friday. We're still mitigating between the Russians and Polish covens over that strip of land in Ukraine. Which also reminds me that if the Russians continue to provoke the Ukrainians we're going to have to get involved.

Too many things to do in a short span of time, that's what I'm trying to get at here.

"Mia Cara, do you have a moment?" Caius said,  putting a startling hand on my shoulder. I'd been too focused on getting that ink that I had no clue anyone had been following me to the office. Turning around to face him, I nodded. "Good. Alexandros was wondering whether or not you'd prefer yellow or white roses for the cake Althaea has offered to make for us?"

"Why must we have a cake when we can't even eat any of it...? Oh right the kids. They'll be eating it for months." I had to think for a few shaky seconds before making my decision, "Well, I suppose some purple flowers would look better with the purple butterflies, so have her do that. And make them lilies instead of roses, please, and preferably in buttercream because Anora despises fondant."

Caius nodded before hurrying away like he always did. I guess that was all he needed to ask me.

After being left alone, I was able to run into my office in order to search for my lost ink. It would be a shame if I'd actually lost it, but I'm sure I left it in the top shelf, as that is where all of the official ink is. I shouldn't have reorganized all of this when I knew that I'd be to busy to memorize where my valuables are. Never doing this again I swear to whatever God or Gods are out there. Never make me do this again and let me have a perfect memory like my mates because if I'm being honest this is the most exhausting thing I've ever done in my entire life why is planning a whole wedding this hard? How do people do this?

I found the ink pot, so back to work.

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MARCUS' POV

There's something wrong with the bonds in this castle.

It started three hours ago, when Jane and Alec went on their daily shift to the East Towers, where we now stored highly prized valuables instead of Sulpicia and Athenodora. It's now not such a pain to be there, but that's not the issue. There's never been something wrong with the bonds in the castle before, or when Jane and Alec have left the main wings of our coven house.

For as long as I've been here, our bonds have been strong. Even when under siege, we've kept our soul family bonds and loyalty. Though I cannot pinpoint what this issue in the bonds is, nobody appears any less loyal or loving towards one another. After thorough examination of everyone inside at this very moment, which is absolutely everyone as we are preparing for the biggest wedding of the millennia, nobody feels wrong.

But something is wrong, something is very wrong and I frankly do not like it.

"Marcus, has Anna finished the draft of the invites yet?" Aro asked from my side, as we had planned on working together to catch up on plenty of things we'd allowed to slip through the cracks. There are too many vampires getting away with countless things we perhaps should not allow them to do, but we are not a perfect government and even we need a break or two. "She said she was going to do them."

"Have you asked her yourself?" Key for: why are you asking me this I'm just as clueless about this as you appear to be. "I haven't talked to her since yesterday's trial and I've been in here with you or checking in on everyone in the castle all day today."

"No, I haven't asked, but I also haven't seen the draft that she's supposed to go over with you," Aro said as he signed yet another document that had been sitting in the dust. "How are the spirits of our coven? I know this is a big event and everyone is working to their fullest potential in order to have it be the best of their lifetimes. It is hard but we must have every bit and piece done by a week before the wedding if we are to be fully prepared. Except for the cake."

Aro has always been like this, and I cannot say that I blame him fully for his perfectionist side. For years he was the voice of reason between Caius and I, both of us controlled by either anger or severe depression with a side of apathy towards life itself. Oh, how did I manage to live like that for so long? I must have seemed absolutely miserable and been dreadful to be around. I guess that is what mental illness does to a man, though.

Now Aro has his good days and his bad days when it comes to controlling himself and how he acts when his desire to take control of a situation flares up. Today doesn't feel like a good day and on top of the lingering feeling in my stomach that something is up with the castle or someone I haven't checked in the castle. I can only hope that he stays in his seat and does his paperwork like a good ancient vampire and doesn't cause a scene with Chelsea or Renata, both of whom are closing working with Anna when it comes to decisions around the wedding.

The worst would come if he dares try and control Anna. If he tried that I would be forced to put him in whatever time-out you place a three thousand year old Greek man in.

Paperwork duty, it's as awful as prison.

"Right now we should be working on finishing these papers in front of us."

"Yet you're not going to do that, I sense," Aro states.

"You'd be correct, brother. I have some things I must attend to inside our home." He gave me a questioning look and I relented immediately. "There has been something off in this castle for hours, nearing on a day and I wish to know exactly what it is."

"I have heard no complaints from our coven mates, Marcus. Are you sure you're not stressed about the wedding and coronation like everyone else."

It would be much simpler if that were the case. I wish that was the case. "No, it can't just Be that. My gift is hiding this from me, as if something else is shielding me from the truth. Whenever I see our bonds the feeling comes back. Amiss yet unchanged. I would not fret if it were not serious, I have plenty of other things my mind should be fixating on at the moment. We have work here and I will not hold you back with my side missions."

"How noble of you."

"Have you always been this kind, brother?"

Aro let out a small chuckle and waved his hand towards the door. "Have at it, Marcus, find what is awful and amiss with the bonds and save the day. The paperwork will be here, waiting for you when you get back."

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Uh oh, that doesn't sound good *evil author chuckles* Sorry for this being so short, I planned on somewhat of a longer chapter but realized it really needed to be cut in two so as to not drag on for a couple thousand more words.

REMINDER: if you comment anything about "please update" or "update" or "update please" or literally anything like that, the update gets pushed further and further back. You're ruining it for everyone and me.