A/N: Only two more chapters until they meet! Just kidding. Enjoy!

***

The final goodbye was as horrible as Lily thought it would be. Knowing Carlisle would be traveling with her helped somewhat, but she was still heartbroken to be leaving the rest of her family. She stared out the window beside her while they drove to the airport and Carlisle reached over to clasp her hand in his. She squeezed his hand in thanks and kept hold of it until they reached the plane.

Their luggage and her belongings had all traveled ahead of them and were already loaded on the plane. The only thing she'd kept with her was the backpack that had once belonged to John. It held the things she didn't trust to anyone else. Even her sword was stashed in the cargohold. Mainly because she was fairly certain they weren't going to allow her to appear before her mates armed.

She took a seat near the window and dropped her bag into the seat across from her. Carlisle sat beside her. The guard sat further away giving them the semblance of privacy. Growing up with vampires, Lily was used to having none so it didn't faze her much. When Lily wasn't sleeping, her and Carlisle talked more about Volterra or played hangman and cards. Sometimes she just stared out the window and contemplated her future. She'd brought a book but after reading the same page three times and still not processing it, she gave up.

The closer they were to their destination, the antsier Liliana got. When they were about forty minutes out, Jane approached. "Excuse me, Mistress."

Lily gave her a tight smile. She really hated being called Mistress but had been unable to get them to call her anything else. "Yes, Jane?"

"We will be landing soon should you wish to don more suitable attire," the girl suggested.

Liliana blinked at her a couple of times before smiling. "Thank you, Jane. That is most kind of you." Lily pulled a sheer cardigan the same color of green as her off the shoulder crop top from her bag. She slipped it on. "Much better."

Jane stared at her for a long moment without saying anything.

Lily leaned toward Carlisle. "I think I broke her."

"Is there not something else you would rather wear? We can arrange for you to change at the airport if your clothes are below." Jane's voice was as calm as ever but it was obvious she was trying not to say something biting to her new queen.

Contrary to what Jane may have thought, Liliana had taken great care with her appearance. She had dressed in a pair of lightweight khaki cargo pants and her off the shoulder olive green crop top. Her brown hiking boots were comfortable and went well so she'd worn those. Alice had done her hair in a messy updo and used one of her hair scarves as a wide hair band with some strands of hair pulled through to frame her face. She'd also done a light makeup. Lily had finished everything off with multiple bracelets and rings along with a metal choker and her necklace with the Cullen crest. She even had her nose ring in. She was quite pleased with the look if she were honest. And most importantly, she felt confident.

"One of the most important things my father taught me was to always begin as you mean to go on, Jane," Lily said. "I would hate to give them the false impression that they are getting a proper lady."

"Yes, that would be most horrible," Jane responded in a completely flat voice.

Lily couldn't help grinning. "We're going to get along just fine, Janey."

The guard turned on her heel to return to her brother's side. Lily waited a couple of beats before she started laughing. She leaned against Carlisle and he began to chuckle as well. "Shhh," he attempted to quiet her when he noticed that all four guards were watching them. That only made her laugh harder.

***

By the time they arrived at the castle, Lily's stomach was churning though she did her best to hide it. Two weeks of texting and the occasional phone call did nothing to prepare her for actually meeting the three kings that were her soulmates. She took a breath as they stood before the massive doors. Felix and Demetri were waiting for her to signal that she was ready.

"Let me take your bag," Alec said from beside her.

Lily frowned at him, reluctant to hand it over.

"I'll take it straight to your room. You will be fine," he assured with a soft smile.

She nodded once and handed the pack over. "Thank you, Alec."

He bowed his head and raced away. She turned back to the doors. "It's not like they don't know I'm out here. Let's do this."

Felix's lips twitched while Demetri outright grinned at her. His grin was infectious and Lily found herself smiling as well. He winked at her and opened the door. Lily stepped into the room, Carlisle trailing behind. Her heart raced as her gaze fell on the men sat on the thrones on the far side of the room. All three sat straighter as they watched her approach. Her gaze moved between them, unwilling to pick one to settle on. No picture could ever do them justice. She wanted to greet them, to say something, but she was too wrapped up just watching them. If she'd had any doubt that they were mates, it evaporated with the feeling of elation in her chest at finally being in their presence.

***

Marcus POV

She was stunning. Breathtaking. If he still needed to breathe that was. Carlisle had sent them pictures but they were nothing compared to the real thing. And it went far beyond her looks. It was the aura that seemed to surround her. She was confident. True. Theirs. Most importantly, his.

The only thing more beautiful than the woman in front of him was the vibrant, brilliant gold true mate bond connecting them to her. That it would be so strong upon their first meeting spoke volumes. She was truly perfect for them.

***

Caius POV

He ran his gaze over her from head to toe. She was pretty for a human, he supposed. But could she not even be bothered to dress herself appropriately for their meeting? Did she not care? His eyes moved from her to Carlisle behind her. Surely he'd taught her better. His gaze flicked back to his mate. His human mate. He barely managed to keep the snarl from his lips.

His eyes narrowed as he took a better look at her. Was that a nose ring? Caius couldn't fathom how the fates thought this was the perfect woman for him. He couldn't imagine anyone more wrong for him. For all of them.

***

Aro POV

Aro swallowed as he took in the stunning creature in front of him. Something about her made him want to take her hair down so he could run his fingers through it. He wanted to curl up with her while they read or just watched the world pass around them. He just wanted to be near her in whatever capacity she would allow it.

It was an unusual feeling for him. Normally his first thought was always about how someone could be of benefit to their coven. To him. But all he could think of was how much he wished he could take her in his arms right now. He could only think this would be the beginning of an amazing eternity with her.

Being the first to recover from her arrival, Aro stood and stepped forward to greet her. He grinned as he approached her. "Liliana, it is so lovely to finally meet you in person." He held out his hands. "May I?"

Elation flooded through him when she shrugged and held out her hand. That she would trust him already meant—Aro frowned when he realized that he was only seeing a very small portion of her memories. He was seeing the moments that brought her to them but that was all. His brow furrowed. "What is this? I don't understand."

***

Lily POV

Aro looked so confused and upset that Lily felt a little bad for blocking him from her memories, but just a little. He had to earn it. She pulled her hand away from him, her chest aching slightly as she did so. "It's my gift."

His brow furrowed. "I've never seen a shield that allows only partial access and you seem to be controlling what I see."

She shook her head. "I'm not a shield. I can block things. I really don't know how else to put it. I simply put up a block between that which I wished you to see and that which I didn't."

Her mate's eyes went wide. "Amazing, cara mia. I understand and do not take it personally though I do hope you allow me access to everything eventually."

"Show them, Lily," Carlisle said from behind her. He never pushed her to share her gift with people, but she understood this was different.

She took a breath and shifted her gaze to Marcus. He lifted a brow at having her attention. With a thought she put the block up on their bonds, though not all the way. She didn't want to cut off the link with them. "I've never seen anything like it," Marcus said. Aro immediately moved to him to take his hand so he could see as well. Caius seemed disgruntled that he wasn't in on the secret.

Moving her eyes to him, she dropped the block on the bonds and instead blocked her scent and the sound of her heartbeat. Every vampire in the room snapped their attention to her. It didn't intimidate her. Her gift was odd. She knew that. As the only human in the room, they all knew the instant her blocks slid into place.

Lily blinked as Caius suddenly appeared in front of her. He was fast. She hadn't even seen a blur. He ran a hand along her jaw as he studied her face. Grasping her chin lightly, he turned her head and sniffed along the length of her neck. Why was that so hot? When he finished, he took a step back. "Impossible."

She shrugged and dropped all the blocks except the ones she kept in place all the time. Caius inhaled deeply as her scent came back, his eyes turning a deeper crimson as he did so. She smiled and gave a small nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Caius."

"Little human," he answered with a sneer.

She shook her head at him, but said nothing further. She wondered if it would do any good to remind him that he'd been human once upon a time. Or maybe he'd just take it as an insult.

When he didn't get the response he was looking for, he looked past her to Carlisle. "And what is your purpose here, Cullen?"

"Excuse me, sir, but that is my emotional support vampire," Lily said.

A snort of laughter carried to her and she glanced over to see Demetri with his hand over his mouth. Jane and Alec were both smirking as well. Caius however just stared at her without blinking. That was creepy. He was a little unsettling. But he was hot. God, what was wrong with her?

She dragged her eyes from him to look at Aro as he returned to stand in front of her. He smiled at her then reached past her toward Carlisle. He returned the gesture, revealing his gloved hands. A flash of hurt showed on Aro's face and Liliana reached out and touched his wrist. "That was my doing. Sorry. I wanted you to get to know me the regular way. If it bothers you that much, it's okay. I don't mind."

His gaze softened as he turned to her and took both her hands in his. "Whatever you wish, cara mia. I look forward to getting to know you in whatever way I can."

She smiled and glanced to his left where Marcus still sat on his throne. His sharp eyes were taking in everything. When he noticed her watching, he smiled and held out a hand as he stood.

Returning his smile, she stepped past Aro and walked over to the quiet king. He met her at the bottom of the steps and took her hand in his. "It is so lovely to finally meet you in person, Liliana." He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, keeping hold of it when he finished.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Marcus." She looked at him for a moment, uncertain what to say. She just enjoyed being in his presence. Her gaze darted down then back up as she bit her lip. His crimson gaze met hers and he tilted his head slightly. "Could I have a hug?" she asked. Her voice was so quiet even some of the vampires in the room had trouble hearing.

He grinned and pulled her to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his nose in her hair, taking in her scent. "You need never ask for affection from me, dolcezza. It will always be freely given." The whispered words brought happiness with them and the arms she'd curled around him squeezed.

"Thank you, Marcus." She still sounded so quiet, so shy. After releasing him from the embrace, she stepped back. She turned so she could run her gaze over her mates. "Is there somewhere I could freshen up? It was a long flight."

"Of course," Aro exclaimed at once, clapping his hands together. "We will show you to your rooms immediately."

Lily blinked as the three kings led her and Carlisle from the room. She hadn't expected them to show her personally. They took the stairs up a couple of floors and stopped at a room just off them. "Carlisle. This is your room. I know it's not where you are used to staying, but we thought it best if you were easy for our mate to find," Aro explained. "She has the rooms right above you."

She made note of where the room was. It would be easy to remember.

"Thank you, Aro. I'm sure it will be fine." He opened the door and turned back to Lily. "Text me if you need anything."

She nodded and he disappeared into the room. She followed her mates up one level to the top of the stairs. They ended in an open area filled with plants and huge windows in the ceiling. There was also a collection of couches and chairs in the middle and a large television hung on the wall above the fireplace that sat to the side of the stairs. A long table sat to one side and was covered with books and papers. Wide eyes took everything in.

"This is our shared area," Marcus explained.

"This is our floor. No one is allowed here without our express permission," Caius said as he stepped past her. He stood a short distance away and crossed his arms over his chest.

Aro took her hand and led her toward the left. A large set of doors emblazoned with an A stood there. Further down there stood another set of doors, much smaller than the first. "Behind these large doors, is my office and private rooms. They are all connected. The smaller doors lead to my bedroom."

Her face heated at the mention of the bedroom. Why did her body insist on acting like a hormonal teenager around them? So embarrassing.

Obviously seeing the color on her cheeks, Aro chuckled. He turned her so she faced back toward the common area. "Beside me are Caius' rooms, across are Marcus'. Our initials are on the doors in case you forget." Then he led her to the right, to the rooms that ran behind where the stairs were. "And these are yours."

"We can do a full tour later, dolcezza. For now, let us show you the bedroom." Marcus took her hand from Aro and led her over to the small doors that had been painted white. Instead of an initial, intricately carved lilies served as the handles on the doors. She ran her fingers over them and glanced up at Marcus. He gave her a soft smile in return.

She pulled open the door, understanding the heaviness when she saw how thick the wood was. As the beauty of the room was revealed, Lily gasped. She stepped inside and sank into the plush carpeting. The entire room was done in white, lilac and sky blue. The king sized bed was draped in netting with fairy lights wrapped around the top. Across from it, a TV was mounted on the wall. It was on an arm so it could be pulled out and watched from the bed or the small sitting area. A dresser stood beneath it.

The sitting area had a lilac rug with blue and white flowers. The couch and two chairs were white with lilac and blue pillows and throws. A wall of shelves stood beside it. While there were a few books and things on the shelves, they were mostly empty waiting for her to fill them. There were three doors leading off the room. She opened the first to show a massive closet that already held a selection of clothing.

"We took the liberty of providing a few things we thought you might like," Aro said. "The door near the shelves leads into your other rooms."

She turned to look at him and simply nodded, still in shock. Moving across the room to the remaining door, she opened it to find an amazing bathroom. There was a large shower with dual heads and a separate massive bathtub. She could live in there and be perfectly happy.

Once she took everything in, she looked at her mates. Aro and Marcus stood near the bed, hands clasped in front of them as they watched her. Caius leaned in the doorway trying to appear uninterested, but she could tell that he was just as anxious for her reaction as the other two.

"This is absolutely perfect. It's beautiful. Thank you," she told them, willing the tears she felt creeping up to disappear. She ran across the room and threw her arms around Aro. He sighed, his shoulders dropping as the tension left him. She buried her face in his neck and he returned the gesture. "You are very welcome, my mate."

Releasing him, she turned to Marcus to hug him as well. "It is our pleasure to care for you."

Last was Caius. Unlike with the other two, Lily couldn't just pull him into a hug. She wasn't sure he even liked her. As she stood in front of him, he stayed leaning against the doorframe. His arms were crossed over his chest again and he ran his gaze over her from top to bottom. "If I hug you, are you going to eat me?"

He hummed and the corner of his mouth kicked up into a smirk. "My brothers would be very unhappy with me were I to do so."

"That was really a yes or no question," Lily told him.

The blond let out a little growl and grabbed her arm to pull her forward. He gave her a one-armed hug and kissed her forehead. "I am glad you are happy, little human."