Two days later found them sitting in the garden. Alice was teaching Liliana to weave flower crowns while Jasper laid a short distance away chewing on a long stem of grass. His eyes were closed and he grinned as he listened to the sisters chatter. He'd missed this. Missed having his two girls together where he could keep an eye on both of them.

Technically it wasn't his job to keep an eye on Lily anymore. That was now the job of her mates but he didn't think he'd ever be fully comfortable with someone else doing it. He'd taken on that responsibility for too long. When he heard another party enter the garden, he inhaled deeply. Not recognizing the scent, he sat up abruptly. "Lils?"

She glanced over then followed his gaze. "It's okay, Jazz. That's Sebastian. He's one of my guards."

Jasper gave a nod and laid back down, arms behind his head. But his eyes never left the intruder on their peaceful afternoon. He didn't trust anyone until they'd proven themselves. Especially not around his little sister and his mate.

Lily smiled up at her guard, shielding her eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. "You don't have to be here. The kings determined a guard wasn't necessary as long as I was with Jasper. I thought they told you."

He shrugged and sat in the grass far too close to Liliana for Jasper's liking. "They did. I didn't have anything better to do. Thought I'd see what you were up to."

Alice laughed and held up the crown she was making.

"We're partaking in serious business here, Guard. How dare you distract us." The corner of Jasper's lips curled in a smile. Lily's fake haughty tone was, frankly, hilarious.

To be honest, until he'd seen the way she handled Bella, there had been a part of him that still wondered about her ability to be fully queen. Afterall, she was one of the kindest spirits he knew. He was worried her soul was too gentle for the job. He'd never been prouder of her than when he saw her in action in the throne room. And her mates had just leaned back and let her rule the room. As much as he hated to admit it, she belonged here. But gods, he missed her. Her absence was a physical ache at times and he had a feeling it would be worse if Lily didn't block some of it on her end. People that were soulbound weren't meant to be as far apart as the two of them were.

A deep laugh drew his attention back to the present and his gaze flicked from his sister to the guard. Jasper didn't like the look in the other man's eyes as he watched Lily. It wasn't a look of lust or wanting. No, this was more like he was waiting for something to happen and he was afraid he'd miss it if he didn't pay attention.

A brief thought of mentioning his worries to the kings crossed his mind but he wouldn't. Not yet. They were likely to kill the man with no further proof than his suspicions. Besides, Lily seemed comfortable around him. And unlike the last time they were here, he hadn't seen much of the other Volturi. They didn't come to speak with her or spend time with her like they had before. Jasper hoped she hadn't lost that connection she seemed to have with them. She needed that more than she probably realized herself.

***

Her siblings stayed for a total of five days before heading for home on one of the Volturi jets. Lily had sent them off with the information for the coven in Brazil after extracting a promise that they would visit again soon. She'd even offered the use of one of the jets to ensure it happened sooner rather than later.

After they left, Lily's isolation became more glaring than ever. Previously, the change had been so gradual, it was easy for her to overlook it. Become used to it. But suddenly not having her cowboy or her pixie to brighten her day brought her solitude into stark relief. Even her personal guard had quit finding time to spend with her outside of their scheduled rotation. Her only company was her mates and she found herself needing it more than ever when her siblings left.

She'd spent the morning dancing and was now seeking out one of her mates. Sebastian had brought her a bag of her favorite cherry suckers the last time he'd been on duty and she happily had one in her mouth while she searched. When she reached Aro's office, she walked in without knocking and found him behind his desk. His brow was furrowed as he scribbled on a piece of parchment.

Not wanting to interrupt his work, she sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk to wait. She pulled her feet up and tucked them underneath her. Several minutes passed before he looked up with a scowl on his face. His eyes flicked over her from top to bottom. Suddenly getting the feeling he didn't like what he saw, Lily fidgeted in her seat.

"Did you need something?" he finally asked.

She shook her head as she bit at her lip. "I was just wanting to spend some time with you is all."

"Yes, well, as you can see, I'm busy. Perhaps later." And he turned back to his work without another glance in her direction. She watched him for a moment longer and he paused only to pinch the bridge of his nose.

She swallowed down her tears as she left. It was ridiculous to get so upset. He was obviously having a bad day. Normally, she would try to get him past it by paying extra attention to him but that clearly wouldn't be welcome at the moment.

She found her blond mate in his studio making angry brush strokes on a large canvas. Fantastic. Hopefully, he'd at least be more receptive to her company. "Hello, my love."

A grunt was his only response. She sat on a stool at the side of the room so she was out of the way and just watched him work. That lasted about ten minutes before he tossed a brush down in frustration. "Don't you have something you can do besides stare at me?"

Her brows shot up. "Nothing as enjoyable, I assure you."

He rolled his eyes and she was proud of herself for biting back the comment she wished to make. "Isn't there some work you should be doing? I believe you're behind in your correspondence."

She hopped to her feet. "The three of you told me in no uncertain terms to take today off, so I did. You don't get to be pissy about it now." She stormed out without waiting to see if he had anything else to say. It was better for him if he didn't.

She paused in the common area wondering if she dare risk getting the same reaction from Marcus. Having all of them irritated with her at the same time wasn't something she looked forward to. Of course, the alternative was for her to spend her afternoon alone. With a sigh, she made way to Marcus' office. She opened the door without knocking and found him reclining on the sofa reading a book.

Hearing her enter, he looked up and smiled when he saw it was her. "Mia regina, how lovely it is to see you."

Lily's shoulders immediately relaxed as the tension left them. "Thank god." She moved to him and he set the book aside so she could curl up in his lap.

His arms wrapped around her as he pressed a kiss to her head and rubbed her back with a hand. "What is the matter? Are you alright?"

She nodded against his chest. "Yeah. Aro and Caius are just in a mood. I was worried you would be too."

He kissed her temple and hummed. "They should not be like that with you. If anything, your presence should have brought them comfort and eased any irritation. You haven't argued with either of them, have you?"

"Nope," she answered, popping the p. "They're just being dicks."

Marcus chuckled. "Well, they have been known to be that on occasion. Now, tell me what you've been up to since I saw you last."

Lily pushed herself off his chest to frown at him. "It's been like seven hours."

He nuzzled his nose along her temple. "Exactly. So much could have happened."

Marcus and Lily remained in his rooms for the rest of the day until they were due to appear for an early morning trial. She chose one of the dresses that had found its way to his closet. When she emerged wearing it, he stopped and stared at her. She fidgeted uncertainly until he licked his lips and said, "You look beautiful, dolcezza."

That earned him a genuine smile and when she moved across the room to kiss him, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to deepen it. He smiled against her lips as he backed her up to the bed. As it turned out, they were rather late for the trial and when they arrived, Aro swept her away from his brother and into his own arms. Once she'd settled on his lap, he buried his nose in her neck and pleaded for forgiveness as he tried to remember why he'd been so irritated with her to begin with.