As time passed, Liliana's things slowly migrated into her mates' rooms. It was done without discussion or fanfare and duplicates appeared when needed. In the same vein, belongings from all of her mates made their way to her room. It wasn't as prevalent as less time was spent there than elsewhere but their lives had all mingled just the same.

She also took on more responsibility as their queen. She still sat trials only on occasion, but she was on hand to greet visitors and receive petitioners. Her skill with words had also led to her taking over most of the written correspondence. They'd also started to include her in their private meetings though to be fair she spent as much time working on her own things during the meeting as she did contributing to their discussions.

Lily had found her niche. Her home. She no longer knocked before entering her mates' space. She didn't require their approval for every decision. Didn't want them to read every letter or email before she sent it off. She no longer flinched every time someone called her queen.

A beautiful spring morning found her strolling through the gardens with Sebastian. She had grown closer to the guard in recent weeks. He reminded her of a slightly more sarcastic Demetri and they had similar sense of humors. His arm brushed against hers as they walked but it didn't faze Lily in the slightest. Sebastian had always made it a habit to stay closer than the other guards. He was like that with everyone though. Always wanting physical contact of some sort. He hadn't stepped over a line and she'd be swift to correct him if he did.

They were returning to the castle when she heard two familiar voices in conversation. Heidi and Chelsea. Lily smiled. While the women weren't her best friends by any stretch of the imagination, they all got along well and Lily enjoyed excursions around town with them. She prepared to call out to them, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She glanced to Sebastian and he motioned for her to listen. Lily tilted her head as if that would improve her hearing.

"To be honest, I'm surprised that she's still here," Heidi said.

There was a light laugh from Chelsea. "She's their mate. They aren't likely to kick her out."

A little pang of hurt flared in Lily's chest as it became obvious they were talking about her.

"Mate or not, they had to be hoping that immortality would suit her more than it does. That it would fix all those flaws. And she's so damn clingy. It's like she can't function on her own."

Was that what people really thought of her? Were all of the friendships she'd made here false?

"She's not that bad," Chelsea argued. "But she's certainly not who I would have pictured with any of them. She just doesn't quite measure up, you know?"

Lily slid a block down on her emotions. The last thing she needed was the kings asking why she was so upset. Tears leaked from her eyes and she wiped them away. "Are you alright?" Sebastian asked after they heard the women return to the castle.

She didn't look at him as she swallowed past the lump in her throat. She nodded once and headed toward the door. He steered her through the halls with a hand on her arm only stopping when they arrived at the stairs leading to the private residence.

She paused before heading up the stairs. "Please don't mention this to anyone. If it needs to be dealt with, I'll handle it."

"If you're certain, fiore."

Her gaze found his. That was the first time he'd called her by the name the rest of her guards used. "Thank you," she finally said before heading to her room.

***

Though Liliana tried to forget about the events in the garden, her thoughts continued to turn to it at the oddest times. Three days had passed and she was curled up on the sofa in their common area reading a book. Normally, she would have been near one of her mates, but she'd been trying to be conscious of the time she spent with them. She didn't want to bother them. Or for them to get tired of her.

When they found her, she closed her book and gave them a small smile. They all kissed her then Aro sat beside her and pulled her feet into his lap. He rested his hands on her legs as he looked her over with a concerned expression. "Are you okay, cara mia? You have been...quiet."

A glance at her other mates showed them with the same worried expression. "I'm fine, my loves. I've just been thinking more than usual I guess."

"Are you certain?" Marcus asked.

She offered her hand to Aro who took it to scan through her thoughts. All those pesky thoughts she didn't want him to see were blocked. He'd never read them. When he finished shuffling through her memories, he kept hold of her hand. "I am glad everything is fine, but don't hesitate to talk to any of us if you need something."

"Of course," she assured with a false smile.

***

Much to Liliana's dismay, the situation with Heidi and Chelsea was only the beginning. And it wasn't even limited to them. Not that everyone was suddenly mean to her or anything, but they were certainly more distant. People that used to seek her out just to spend a few moments with her she hadn't seen in weeks. When she took the initiative to track people down everyone was too busy to talk.

The only people she spent any real time with anymore were her guard and her mates. Even the Cullens weren't talking to her as much as she was used to. It got to the point where she hardly left their floor unless needed for official business. Her mates had noticed the change but Lily continued to assure them that nothing was wrong. No distress came through their bonds and Aro saw nothing of note in her memories, so they let it go. She still enjoyed spending her time with them, after all, and that was the most important thing.

Lily was sorting through petitions in her office when Demetri poked his head in. She gave him a smile and sat the papers aside. "What can I do for you, Demi?"

"The Masters are requesting your presence in the throne room at once, Mistress," he offered. She arched a brow and he smiled. "My apologies. Fiore."

"I'll be there in a moment."

He left with a nod and she headed into her bedroom. It was but the work of a moment for her to find and dress and put it on. Not knowing the reason she'd been summoned, she slid on a pair of flats before rushing off to her mates.

She arrived to find them sitting in their thrones awaiting her arrival. Several guards stood around the room but no one else was present. Aro held out his hand and when she took it, he pulled her down to sit in his lap. "Hello, my love. We believed you should present for the next petition. It appears young Edward Cullen has something he wishes to ask the Volturi."

He raised a hand to have Edward brought in. When Liliana would have moved to greet her brother, Aro kept hold of her causing her to frown. Ed mirrored her frown but it seemed for a different reason.

His gaze shifted from her to her mates. "I was hoping I could speak to the three of you in private."

Oh, that hurt more than it had any right to.

Caius narrowed his eyes. "Liliana is queen. She has as much say here as we do."

Edward looked torn for a moment before putting his shoulders back and standing straight. "Very well. I have come to petition the Volturi for death."

Lily clenched her teeth to keep from gasping. What the hell had happened in the months since she'd seen her siblings?

"I must say, Mr. Cullen," Marcus said, "we are very surprised at such a request."

Aro placed his hand beneath her chin and turned her head to speak in her ear. "Do you suppose your family knows anything about this?"

She answered silently as he still held her hand and could easily read it. Alice may know due to her gift but they never would have allowed him to come with such a request at least without warning her first. At least she hoped not.

He released her with a nod and she turned back to study Edward.

"I'm afraid before we could even consider such request, we would need to know why you wish to die. After all, you are a gifted member of our family," Caius said.

The corner of her mouth kicked up at her mate's use of the word family.

Edward looked surprised for a moment before he said, "Would you ask for explanations from someone else that made the request?"

Caius huffed a laugh. "Don't be absurd. We'd have Aro read his mind."

Eddie held his hand out. "And he's free to read mine."

"I think not, Edward. I'm rather comfortable," Lily said, trying to sound bored with the entire conversation.

"Lily."

"Edward."

"Please."

"If you're mature enough to ask for your death, you're mature enough to explain why," she snapped.

"She has a point, Cullen," Caius said.

"My mate is dead," he finally answered, his focus on the floor rather than the vampires in front of him. "She killed herself and it's my fault."

A mix of confusion and hurt rolled through Liliana. She hadn't heard anything about a mate from any of her family. Surely, he wasn't keeping it a secret from them. "I wasn't aware that you had found your mate," Marcus said after a pause.

"I had. Her name was Bella Swan."

Lily frowned. "I thought Bella was your blood singer, not your mate."

Finally, he looked at her again. "She was both."

"You must be aware of how very rare that particular combination is," Aro argued. "After all, we shouldn't wish to eat those that are most precious to us. It makes dating very awkward."

Liliana smiled and relaxed against his chest, allowing him to hold her closer.

"Well, what is your verdict, mia regina? Should we give Mr. Cullen that which he seeks?" Marcus asked when Edward had no response to Aro's words.

Edward's brows shot up. "You can't be leaving this decision up to her?"

"Of course, we are. You're her brother," Caius said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sorry, Eddie. No dying for you today," Lily said.

"Fine. I guess we're done here, then."

When he went to leave, Lily held up a hand. "Stop him." Two of the guard stepped in front of him to block his way. "Put him in a room under guard. He's prone to acts of stupidity."

Aro nodded to the guard and they led Edward from the room while he protested loudly. Lily reached into the inside pocket of Aro's jacket and pulled out his phone. She dialed Carlisle's number and waited for him to answer. "Aro, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Edward's a dumbass."

"Hello, Lily." There was a hint of laughter in his voice. "I am very much aware of my son's tendency to overreact. I take it he found his way to you, then?"

"You knew he was coming here?" She couldn't believe the rest of her family would just let him go on what was essentially a suicide mission.

"Not until Alice had a vision, no. She's on her way to you now."

"And none of you thought to call?"

"It's not as if you'd let anything happen to him. Though I suppose a bit of warning would have been appropriate. Apologies." Carlisle still sounded entirely too amused.

She hummed in acknowledgement.

"You should also know that Bella isn't dead. Alice's vision wasn't what she thought."

Lily couldn't help an abrupt laugh at that bit of news. "Oh, I bet the pixie's pissed."

"Annoyed might be the more appropriate word, but yes. They should be there in a few hours."

"Alright, pop. I'll call when everything's settled."

"Thank you, sweetheart. We love you."

"Love you, too."

She handed Aro back his phone and glanced at her mates who were all watching her. "Sometimes family's a real pain in the ass."