The weeks passed and Lily was happy. Content. She sat in trials and answered correspondence. Her mates undertook educating her on their personal histories as well as the history of the vampire race as a whole. She worked on languages and signed up for another online class about Renaissance art. As busy as she was, she still found time to spend with her mates.

Caius finally remembered that he owed her a date. He interrupted her stroll in the garden one afternoon to invite her to accompany him for the evening. She dressed in a short silver dress and strappy heels that he'd provided. He drove them through the city until they arrived at a low building. There was a large glass entry way while the rest of the building was mostly windowless. There was no signage to indicate where they were.

She waited for Caius to open her door and took his offered hand. He nodded to the guard while he fixed the button on his suit with one hand. He led her into the building and she was surprised to find it full of art. "What is this?" she asked as she turned in a slow circle to look around.

"This building houses part of the Volturi's private collection. It is not open to the public. I thought you would enjoy seeing it."

Her answering grin was wide and bright. "Thank you, Caius. This is perfect."

He simply smiled in return. They walked through the building and discussed the art, piece by piece. At the end he brought her to a round room with a glass ceiling. In the center was a table set with a small meal of soup and blood wine. So, they ate and talked about everything and nothing.

When they arrived home, Caius escorted her upstairs. She hung on him, laughing and smiling as they went. "I'm not ready for our date to be over yet."

He grinned at her. "Then what shall we do, my queen?"

"Let's paint." She tugged him toward the studio.

***

He didn't resist and laughed at her as she pulled him along. "Don't you think we should get changed first, love?"

She shook her head and put a fresh canvas on her easel before ridding herself of the strappy shoes. The corner of Caius' mouth quirked up. He loved seeing her like this. Quick as a flash his jacket was hung near the door. He stripped off his shirt and offered it to her. "Better this than your dress. I have a dozen more just like it."

"You should turn around," she said and he arched a brow as he did as she said. He had thought she would wear the shirt over the dress, not replace one with the other. "Okay."

He turned to find her wearing only his dress shirt. It hit her mid-thigh and she looked absolutely stunning. Reaching out, he grasped her waist and pulled her into him. "You're beautiful, Liliana." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I love you."

She smiled against his lips. "I love you, too, my king."

Reluctantly, he released her and let her turn to her painting.

When he began to set up his own space, she stopped to watch him. "You're staring."

"Aren't you going to change?"

He made a show of looking himself over. He too had kicked off his shoes and now wore only his suit trousers. "I'm comfortable. Why, Liliana? Am I distracting you?"

She looked away from him. "Just thought you might get cold is all."

He leaned forward as if he was about to impart some great secret. "I don't get cold."

They talked while they painted, both lost in their own little world in between conversation. When Caius caught himself staring for the tenth time, he sat his brush down and made his way over to his mate. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her before resting his chin on her head. "Amazing, as always." (painting by Harminder Singh)

"You think so?" She sounded so uncertain and it made him crazy that she doubted her talent.

He turned her on the stool and cupped her face in his hands. "I am positive." He kissed her without giving her a chance to respond. When she gave a little hum of pleasure, Caius deepened the kiss. His tongue swept the line of her lips seeking entrance which she gladly gave. She stood and wrapped her arms around him. One of her hands found its way to his hair and her fingers tangled in its length. She moaned deep in her throat and desire swamped him. Gods, how he wanted his little mate.

She leaned back and looked up at him through hooded eyes. "I want you, Caius."

He stilled instantly. "Are you certain?"

She grinned. "Oh, yes. Absolutely."

That was the only confirmation he needed. He swept her up into his arm and flashed them to the bed.

***

Several days after her rather perfect date with Caius, Marcus approached her in her private office.

"Hello, mia regina," he greeted as he came in and shut the door. Her gaze ran down the length of him surprised to find him in jeans and a t-shirt.

She smiled as she got up to greet him properly with a kiss. "Hello, my love. What can I do for you?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I had hoped you would accompany me on an outing."

Her eyebrows lifted. "Like a date?"

"Precisely."

Excitement and happiness made her heart race just a bit. "I'd love to. When?"

"Now."

Her lips twitched. "Thanks for the warning. What do I need to wear?"

He stepped back and held her at arms length. "You look fine. You can even forgo shoes if you wish."

She blinked in surprise before shrugging and taking his hand in hers. "Let's go then, shall we?"

After a short drive, he parked the car along a cliff that overlooked the sea. It was mid-day but the sky was overcast. He took her hand as they got out of the car and directed her to a set of stairs that she hadn't seen. He kept hold of her with one hand while a blanket was draped over his other arm.

The stairs were thin and crumbly and she wouldn't have risked them if she was still human. When they reached the bottom, she was rewarded with a beautiful, sandy beach. The land curved here creating a little cove. There was no one around and they'd only be seen by someone looking down from the cliff or on a boat in the sea.

"It's beautiful." She let go of his hand to walk in front of him, enjoying the feel of the sand on her feet.

"I thought you'd like it," her mate answered and she turned to find him spreading the blanket out on the sand.

She grinned at him. "I love the ocean. It's so peaceful."

"I recalled you saying as much."

She walked back to him and looped her arms around his waist. "How many people know about this place?"

He shook his head. "It belongs to the Volturi. Demetri and Felix are standing guard by the cars. No one will bother us."

"Well, that's a pleasant change." She kissed him soundly, enjoying the knowledge that they wouldn't be interrupted.

***

After taking off his shoes and setting them aside, he took her hand in his once more. As they walked along the shoreline, Liliana stared out at the sea a soft smile on her face. Marcus kept his eyes on her. He wanted nothing more than for her to always be this content, this happy.

They walked the length and back several times before he steered her toward the blanket he'd brought. He sat and pulled out the book they had been reading in their moments together. He showed it to her. "I thought we could continue, if you liked."

Her smile widened slightly and she joined him on the blanket. She laid down, placing her head on his thigh. Absently he played with her hair while he read the text in the original Greek. After reading for some time, he glanced down to find her watching him. "Is there anything you need, dolcezza?"

"There is actually." She sat up and he waited for her to tell him what she wanted. She took the book from his hands and set it aside. His protest was cut off but his mate shifting around to straddle his lap.

His hands immediately found her hips. She kissed him and his thumbs rubbed along the bare skin just above the waist of her jeans. He didn't resist as she pushed him back and he found himself laying on the blanket, his mate leaning over the top of him.

When she pulled away and smiled down at him, he was certain his expression was something like awe. He pushed the hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I need you, Marcus. Just you."

He wove his fingers through her hair and pulled her head down for another searing kiss. Her hips rocked against his and he hissed at the sensation. As much as he wanted this, wanted her, he took his time, savoring every moment.

After they made slow, sweet love on the beach, he took his mate home and to his rooms where they stayed wrapped up in each other and his silk sheets well into the next day.

***

Not to be outdone, Aro demanded that Liliana pack a bag before he whisked her away to Florence for a couple of days. The city wasn't far. They could have easily made a day trip of it, but Aro insisted on getting them a room at a fancy hotel. Lily gaped at the room. Volturi castle was elegant and well-appointed but that was a home. To have that level of quality in a hotel sort of stunned her. It was a much larger space than they needed, especially since they didn't sleep, but Aro wouldn't have settled for anything less.

They strolled through the streets playing tourist as Lily had never been there before. As they left the Church of Santa Maria Novella, she leaned into his side. She grasped his hand tightly. "Thank you for this, Aro. I feel almost normal."

"You are welcome, cara mia, but you could never be simply normal." He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her hand. As they walked in the direction of the hotel he continued to point out anything he thought might interest her.

"There's so much to see," she muttered at some point and glanced up at him.

He grinned. "And we have an eternity for me to show it to you."

***

Their hands were still wrapped together. When he picked up the images currently in his mate's head, his steps stuttered. He cleared his throat and shook off the remnants of the thought she'd let slip. While he was aware of her actions with his brothers and wished for nothing more than to make love to his mate, he wouldn't rush her.

They'd walked a bit further before he spoke again. "What would you like to see next?"

She pressed more tightly against his side. "I believed my thoughts would make that obvious."

He licked his lips. "Those images were intentional then?"

She pulled away from him, turning to walk backward as she tugged him along by the sure grip on his hand. "Of course they were, my love. Surely you know I'm better blocking you out than that by now."

Though her smirk promised many wicked things, he refused to rush to the hotel. She'd never been to the city and it was one of his favorite places in the world. He insisted they take their time as he continued to point things out along the way. After a few minutes of pouting, Lily fell back into her easy attitude.

When they finally arrived back at the hotel, they disappeared into the room which proved to be far more use than he'd anticipated.