The kings left shortly after that. They had a light lunch delivered and Lily laid down after eating. She remained on top of the covers, only wanting to take a small nap. A knock woke her a couple of hours later. After waking enough to realize what the sound was, she sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Come in," she called as she ran a hand down her face, trying to be rid of the last of the fatigue.

Jane opened the door and stepped inside. "Hello, Mistress."

"Jane."

"The Masters have requested that you join them for dinner in the garden." The girl kept her hands laced together in front of her.

Panic shot through Lily. "Right now?"

The vampire smiled slightly. "In one hour."

"An hour? Ugh. That's not enough time." Lily stood and started taking off all of her rings and bracelets. She laid them on the dresser as she did. "Can you help me, Jane?"

"Of course. What do you need?" the guard agreed immediately.

"I'm going to take a shower. In one of those garment bags is a white dress with wild flowers on it. Could you find it for me please? And in one of those boxes by the closet is a pair of white sandals with green and blue beading. Thank you." Lily grabbed her toiletries and a set of undergarments from the duffle bag sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed. She hurried into the bathroom to get ready for her date.

Once Lily had been properly cleaned, shaved and plucked, she put on her underwear. She then slid on the fluffy robe that was hanging on the back of door. When she stepped into the bedroom, she found Jane standing by the bed. The dress and shoes Lily had asked for were laid out. "Thank you, Jane."

"You are welcome. I took the liberty of taking your other clothes out of the garment bags and organizing them in your closet. I also put the shoes away."

Lily blinked. "I don't know how I always forget about that vamp speediness. Thank you. I don't suppose you know how to do hair, do you?" She'd gotten far too used to having Alice and Rose around to do it for her.

Jane smiled. "Of course."

***

Lily arrived in the garden to find the three kings in conversation. She stood watching them until Aro looked up, catching her eye. His eyes widened as he looked her over and got to his feet. Marcus and Caius turned to see what had captured his attention only for them to have the same reaction. Lily smiled softly and took the seat that Aro pulled out for her. "Thank you."

"You look lovely, dolcezza," Marcus said.

"Agreed. You are beautiful." The two tamer brothers smiled, thrilled at the prospect of spending time with their mate.

Caius crossed his legs then crossed his arms over his chest as he ran his gaze over her. "I see that you are indeed capable of dressing yourself appropriately."

She arched a brow and gave him a nod as she took a bite of the pasta they'd placed in front of her. "When the situation calls for it."

The blond straightened in his seat. "And meeting your mates who happen to be the rulers of the vampire race didn't warrant careful attention to your appearance?"

He was clearly offended at this perceived slight and the thought amused Lily. "Leaving my family to fly over nine hours to relocate half-way around the world with my mates warranted some comfort. And I did take care in my appearance, Caius. I just didn't dress the way you expected me to." She shrugged and continued eating. Caius started to speak again but snapped his mouth shut at glares from both of his brothers.

"We thought that we might use this time to get to know each other a bit, Liliana," Marcus said. "Tell us about yourself."

She leaned back and took a sip of her wine. "What do you want to know that you don't already? I assume Carlisle told you a great deal." Despite the contact they'd had over the past couple of weeks, they actually hadn't done much getting to know one another. Their topics of conversation revolved around their days or what her life would be like once she arrived in Volterra. They seemed to come to an unspoken agreement to learn more about each other in person.

"I think you'd be surprised at how little our dear friend actually revealed to us. I believe he felt that it was your place to tell us what you wished for us to know," Aro said, taking a sip of his own wine.

She hummed in thought and took another bite as she nodded her head. "I was eight years old when I encountered my first vampire. He killed my parents in an alleyway while I hid behind a dumpster covered in their blood. I met my second when the case worker came to claim me. Met my third eight months later when I crossed paths with John." She pushed her plate away as she finished her food. "What do you suppose the odds of that are?"

"I would say astronomical if not for the fact that you are our mate. It was fate's way of pushing us together I assume," Marcus suggested after a small stretch of silence.

"Well, fate can kiss my ass," she responded with a huff of laughter. "It could have waited a few years to start pushing me around." Lily didn't mean the words completely, aware that any little change might have kept her from knowing John or the Cullens or all the other friends she'd made along the way. She sighed and finished her glass of wine, giving Aro a nod of thanks when he refilled it for her. "That being said, my life could have been far worse. I have an abundance of people that love me, even if they aren't blood."

"Your bonds are incredible," Marcus told her. "Typically bonds are formed only with a deep relationship. However, you seem to make bonds incredibly easily. People are drawn to you. Even in their absence I can see the soul sibling bonds between you and the Cullens. Two of them are incredibly vibrant."

Lily smiled. "That would be Edward and Jasper. Jasper and I, in particular, are extremely close."

"The god of war befriended a teenage human girl?" Caius asked, his tone something between surprise and disgust.

She tapped her finger on the table. "A teenage human girl showed kindness to Major Jasper Whitlock without wanting anything in return. Sometimes that's all it takes."

***

After another hour spent in conversation while drinking wine, Lily excused herself. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. Despite that, she found herself unable to sleep once she was in bed. Instead, she simply lay there staring at the ceiling. Finally, she grabbed her cellphone and sent a text to Carlisle asking where he was.

Once she confirmed he was in his room, she threw back the covers and got out of the bed. She opened the door and peeked out of the room hoping the kings weren't lounging in the common area. Finding it empty, she breathed out a sigh of relief and padded over to the stairs on her bare feet. The stone was cold against her soles, but she didn't care. She preferred to go barefoot if she had a choice.

She was surprised to find a guard when she reached the bottom of the stairs as there hadn't been one there earlier. But then, she'd been with the kings or Jane. She had a feeling he'd been placed on duty to keep her safe while the kings were elsewhere. "Hello. I don't think we've met."

The guard bowed his head with a smirk. "Sebastian at your service, Mistress. It is a pleasure. Is there some way I might be of assistance?"

Lily arched a brow at his enthusiasm and looked him over. While he had a similar build to Demetri, his hair was pitch black. He also had a mischevious glint in his eye and she was pretty sure that smirk was a permanent feature. "Nope. Just going to visit my Pop." She pointed to the door a short distance away.

Sebastian nodded and she moved over to Carlisle's door, knocking lightly. He opened it almost immediately, giving her a warm smile when he saw her. "Come in, sweetheart."

She immediately climbed up onto his bed without invitation. She didn't need one. After finding her way under the blankets, she settled into the pillows and looked at Carlisle. He sat in a chair in the little sitting area, an amused smile on his face. "Comfy?"

She grinned back. "Couldn't sleep."

He simply nodded, needing no further explanation. While she had passed the need to have someone in the room with her when she went to sleep every night, she still had moments when she needed that connection, that comfort. This was one of them. "Would you read to me?" she asked after a moment.

"Of course." It had been awhile since they'd done this, but they both enjoyed it. It didn't matter what he read as Lily wasn't paying attention to the words anyway. It was simply a reminder that he was there even when her eyes slipped closed and she could no longer see him.

***

Red eyes haunted her dreams again.

But these weren't the eyes of her mates. These belonged to something far more sinister. For her anyway. She ran through endless hallways with no doors, laughter echoing behind her. And she didn't look back—didn't dare—knowing those eyes would catch her if there was the slightest delay.

And she hated herself for running. She was better than that. She could do better. She'd been trained by the Major himself for fuck's sake. She shouldn't be afraid, but she was terrified. Finally, there was a door at the end of the hall. It took her far longer to reach than it should have and she flung open it as soon as she reached it. She slammed it shut behind her and flipped the lock.

"We've been waiting for you, Kicsim." A tremor of fear crawled up her spine and she snapped around to find two sets of red eyes glaring at her. One belonged the vampire that killed her birth parents and the other to the vampire that killed John. They were standing next to a pile of burning vampire pieces.

Oh god. She had to get out of here. The door now refused to open despite her having only come through moments before. A large hand snatched the back of her shirt and jerked her backward. The two vampires smiled down at her before they began to rip her apart, throwing the pieces into the fire.

Lily woke with a scream to find Carlisle bent over her, his hands on her arms. Who knew how long he'd been trying to wake her? She launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He spoke softly trying to calm her and shifted them around so he was in the bed with her. He leaned against the headboard and she curled up against his side. One hand ran lightly along her spine while the other pushed her hair away from her face. "It's okay, Lily. It was just a dream."

She shuddered but nodded in acknowledgment. Only a couple of minutes passed before a knock sounded at the door. She gripped Carlisle tighter, not wanting him to go anywhere. "Shh. It's okay, sweetheart. I've got you."

"Come in," he said only a bit louder. The door opened to admit the kings.

"Is everything alright?" Aro asked. "We felt her distress."

"Nightmare." Carlisle played with her hair, knowing it relaxed her.

Her gaze moved between her mates, but she didn't say anything. Frankly, she didn't want to talk at the moment.

"That must have been some dream," Caius said, sounding concerned.

Carlisle made a sound of agreement. "When she came to live with us, she had them frequently. They've dissipated over the years, but I should have anticipated this. Stressful situations have always made them more likely. With the move and meeting you, it was inevitable. Too much change all at once."

Marcus ran his eyes over her face. "As long as you are alright, Liliana."

She gave a little nod at the three kings who stood awkwardly near the bed, uncertain what to do. After a moment, they moved toward the door though their gazes kept coming back to her.

"You can stay if you want." Her voice was quiet, but she knew they heard.

"Would you like us to?" Marcus asked.

Again, she nodded. They immediately came back toward her.

Carlisle gave her a little squeeze. "Sit if you like. We can talk. She likes to hear people talking if she can't sleep or she's upset. It'll help her."

That's all he needed to say. Aro and Marcus sat in the chairs of the little sitting area behind her while Caius sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard beside Carlisle. His gaze locked on hers. She wondered what he was thinking as he just observed her with those crimson eyes. He didn't engage in the conversation that the others were having.

Finally, afterseveral minutes, his gaze softened. "Go to sleep, little human. All will bewell."