Nora lay engulfed by the soft sheets of the large bed; red puffy eyes staring emptily out of the large windows, face illuminated by the warm afternoon sun that battled with the softly falling rain. Despite her blank face her mind was racing with all the events of the last 24 hours. It was crazy to think that a couple of days ago she'd just been some oblivious normal girl trying to move on from a traumatic event- now a whole new world lay before her, filled with supernatural creatures and laws and...death.

Sighing heavily she turned to lay on her back, scoffing at the fact that even the ceiling was covered in intricate carvings. Who were these people trying to impress? Her mind wandered as she trailed her eyes over every crevice and perfect line. Last night had certainly been one of the most memorable of her life, I mean how many people were told they were the mate to three vampires? Admittedly she hadn't had the...best reaction to the news.

"You're our mate." Aro's eyes were alight with nerves. He even looked a bit sick if that could be possible. Had the situation been different she might have laughed at the sight of the regal man so wrought with worry.

She blinked hastily, trying hard to convince herself that this was some crazy dream and she was safe at home tucked away in her room. Persistently the three troubled men remained in front of her and she was forced to face reality.

This...this was just great. She knew realistically most girls might be thrilled at the news that they were literally destined to be with not one gorgeous man but three for the rest of their lives. Yeah, not her. This whole fucking day had been a nightmare from start to finish. She'd come to Italy with the expectation that they were going to stop Bella's dumbass suicidal boyfriend from offing himself, not end up in some twisted fairytale where vampires actually existed and apparently were madly into her.

"You're kidding, right?" Her voice broke at the end of her hopeful whisper, not that she cared right now. This had to be some sort of prank. Of course she knew now that vampires were real, there was no disputing that. Caius had fucking lifted a couch above his head with one hand like it weighed nothing for gods sake.

That didn't mean that this little part of their story was truthful at all.

Caius's face twisted into an offended frown like the notion that this was fake was ridiculous. "This is no joke, Elenora. Vampires take the subject of mates extremely seriously, do you think I'd waste my time with this if we weren't telling the truth?" His stern raspy voice made her feel things she was ashamed of, sending a pleasant tingle down her spine. Oh god—so not the time!

"Calm yourself, Caius. Do not let your feelings cloud your judgement. Remember that Elenora is perfectly within her rights to assume us all liars if she pleases. We will just have to prove we are telling the truth. Marcus, would you explain since this is your area of expertise?" Aro acted as the mediator and settled the growing tension in the room; by the exhausted look on his face it seemed he placated Caius's moods all too often.

"Certainly." Marcus adjusted his position on the couch, crossing his legs at the ankles and leaning back into the comfortable cushions, probably to make her feel more comfortable. He smiled tenderly, her eyes captivated with the small dimples created from the movement. Wow, could this man get any cuter?

"You see, amore, some vampires when they are created are fortunate to be blessed with...gifts, shall we call them. These could be certain traits you were good at as a human that were enhanced by your change, or they could be something completely random. I mention this because I myself have a gift, the ability to see the bonds that connect one person to another." Her eyebrows raised of their own accord in shock. The idea of vampires was crazy enough, now they could have literal superpowers? That was...terrifying.

"I see the bonds between each person in this place whether it be family, friends, enemies or lovers. That is how I know, my love, that you are mine and my brothers' true mate. Even without the aid of my gift a vampire knows their mate on sight. It is instinctual."

It felt like a heavy weight had dropped in her stomach, pinning her in place. That was exactly what she hadn't wanted to hear. It was no reflection on them, they had been nothing but kind and accommodating to her since she entered the room and despite the issue of their vampirism they were perfect gentlemen. This was just too much information for her brain to process. It was one thing to be told of the existence of another race, but to be told that fate had selected you as the most powerful individuals' 'soulmate?'

That was where she drew the line.

Her head spun, her breathing shallow and raspy. Her eyes clouded over with a misty haze that she just couldn't blink away no matter how much she tried. She wanted to run far away yet fall into their embrace all at the same time. What was happening to her?

Aro noticed her conflict, moving closer to her cautiously but with determination shining in his ruby eyes. "Tell me Elenora that you have felt nothing, no pull, no strange feeling inside you that you can not explain. That you haven't felt inexplicably drawn to us against your own judgements. Tell me you've felt nothing and we will forget all of it."

"Aro!" Caius snarled furiously, pausing reluctantly when Aro simply raised his hand to stop him, unbothered by his brother's outrage.

Caius hissed before leaning only slightly back in his seat, scarlet eyes bubbling with uncontained rage burning a hole in the back of Aro's head. Marcus too looked worried; though he was a lot more docile, choosing to sit quietly, the only sign of his discomfort was the slight downturn of his plump lips.

Nora was stumped, her dazed eyes floating softly around the room as she avoided their eyes stubbornly, reluctant to admit the truth—even to herself. After several tense moments of silence  she accepted defeat, sighing softly and looking at them all.

"I...have felt something for you all that I have been struggling to understand." She admitted this so quietly they barely heard her, though their faces lit up at the fact she had felt the bond.

"This is excellent news, Eleno-" Aro's joyous celebration was cut short as Nora sprung up from the couch, her face red with anger. She'd had enough of this! All she wanted was to go home, back to her uncomplicated routine with her father and Bella.

"This is not 'excellent'! Don't you understand?! Two days ago I was just a normal girl trying to live her mundane little life; now you're telling me that I'm destined to be with you? Oh sorry, all of you?! The rulers of the vampire race? I am not doing this, I'm not even someone special enough for this!" Her chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily, her heart pounding harshly in her chest as her anxiety with this whole mess caught up with her. Remorse quickly replaced her anger when she saw the hurt that flashed across all three mens faces, it was like she'd just viciously stabbed them all in the heart.

"I'm sorry-I..." She fumbled for what to say, feeling like the world was caving in on her. Tears sprang in her eyes and she heaved out an angry breath, locking eyes with them all individually. It made her feel even worse when all that was reflected back in their crimson stares was extreme worry for her.

Feeling her heart palpitate painfully she turned quickly on her heel, dashing towards the door, not looking back when they yelled her name. She heard them make no move to follow her and she was relieved for that.

Demitri's concerned face greeted her when she entered the cold hallway, but she interrupted the beginnings of his worried questioning.

"Please, take me back to my room." Her voice wobbled unevenly, tears finally escaping her sore eyes and falling down her flushed cheeks. He said nothing, just obediently nodded his head and turned on his heel. She did notice him peeking worriedly at her over his shoulder on the journey back.

After that she'd been left to her own devices, falling asleep at some point and waking up this morning feeling like utter shit. She knew her reaction was justified but she couldn't stop the guilt that ate away at her for her actions; to top it all off her heart ached horribly, like a chunk had been ripped from it. It only further solidified the truth to their words.

She'd woken close to 11am, surprised to see a tray of delicious looking golden pancakes and fresh fruit. Ravenously hungry she'd finished the large plate in no time; with little to do she was left to her thoughts, choosing to distract herself from her inner turmoil by calling her dad.

Of course her nerves had been running wild as the phone rang; both her and Bella had just run off in the middle of the night and only left a note, she hadn't meant to leave that way but there had been no time to even think, Alice made sure of that.

He'd picked up after only three rings, his angry voice greeting her ears. They'd had a lengthy conversation after he managed to calm down-though it had taken a long time, he was really upset.

She explained that after Bella had basically forced her to go along with her, she'd liked Italy so much she decided to stay for a while since Italy made her feel calmer then she had since the...incident. It wasn't a lie, as much as she hated to admit it she had felt at peace since meeting the three kings, most of her pain was forgotten in their presence.

He seemed a lot more at ease after she explained, she was an adult and she could make her own decisions; he knew she was fine financially since she worked in the summers and had always been reluctant to spend her money, she had saved up a lot. It still didn't stop him worrying about her, but he would trust her and support her if this is what she wanted to do, she deserved to have a break.

That was why she adored him. It didn't matter if he disagreed with her, he still supported her with every decision she made and stood by her.

He informed her Bella was home safe, her and Edward were now joined at the hip and couldn't be separated, though her dad wouldn't give up in trying. She was happy that he could see the flaws in Edward like she could. It seemed everyone else thought that he and his family were respectable but she saw him for what he really was, no 'good' person could hurt Bella the way he had and get away with it. There must be...something wrong with him, she just had to figure out what.

She wished she could be home with her dad right now but she had an important decision to make. She didn't want to put a time frame on her being here when she didn't even know what she was going to do yet. Assuring him she would most likely only be staying a short while she had said goodbye and was once again engulfed by her troubling thoughts.

Groaning, she turned away from the ceiling onto her stomach, burying her face into the silken covers. She did appreciate the silence of the room; but she felt like she was going mad. It didn't help that she felt absolutely disgusting. She hadn't showered in a while and her dirty clothes were the same ones she'd been wearing when she'd arrived with Bella and Alice. The...kings? Yeah. They'd left a beautiful and expensive black nightie on her bed for her when she'd got back, but she was so angry at the time she'd just scoffed at it and stuffed it under the bed, appalled at their audacity.

Deciding to stop moping she headed to the huge bathroom, she was desperate for a bath and the tub was beckoning her. Running the bath she felt her stiff joints and muscles untense as she sank into the warm water; for the first time since arriving at this place she felt somewhat relaxed. It was short lived though and soon her mind was wandering again. Oh god, what was she going to do?

On the one hand she wanted nothing to do with this fucked up world she unfortunately was now a part of. What she had was good, it may not be the most exciting life but it was hers-to control and live as she wanted. She didn't want this, to be shackled to three men for the rest of her life just because 'fate' had decided it.

Yet something inside of her craved it, longing to be with them. She had no control, just thinking about them caused an irritating ache in her heart that she couldn't shake. Maybe she was being an idiot...would she be? To pass up the chance at 'true love'? Certainty she'd never experienced anything close to it before, perhaps that was why she was so afraid. Anyone else would kill for it; in any other circumstance maybe she would have been excited at the prospect too, but she didn't enjoy the way things had happened, the way she had absolutely no control.

She knew that even if she wanted to say no, to run home and hide away she couldn't. Was she lying to herself that she didn't want this? Maybe, but her mind couldn't seem to fathom exactly what she wanted or how she truly felt.

Goosebumps rose along her wet skin, the bath water had grown cold while she worried herself to death, though it didn't bother her. She gripped her hair tightly, her mind ticking wildly and at this rate she was surprised she had managed to get any sleep at all. 'Come on Nora, you're a grown woman just make a fucking decision!' She sniffed angrily as frustrated tears leaked from her eyes, raising her hands and ruthlessly wiping them from her face. No! She needed to stop being so pathetic, it was still her life and she had the control, not anyone else.

Invigorated with fresh resolution she rose confidently from the tub, her once dull eyes filled with a new fire.

She knew what she had to do now.