I heard very little from my family over the next several weeks. August had transitioned into September and the only real news I had gotten from them was that Bella and Edward had returned from their honeymoon, which wasn't exactly informative.
"You're worrying way too much about this," Afton said one day in mid-September. "I'm not downplaying your concerns, but I think you're just reading too much into it. Handling a newborn is a lot of work, it's no surprise that your family doesn't have much time to talk."
"I hate this," I said, running a hand down my face. "If that were the case, why wouldn't they just say so? I mean, did I do something?"
"I doubt it. You're a damn joy to have around," Santiago said. He was sprawled out on my couch, leaving no room for Afton or I to sit. We were sitting on the loveseat instead, curled up on opposite ends.
"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," I said, appraising him.
Santiago shrugged. "Take it as you will."
"I don't see how it would be anything else," Afton said, bringing us back to the subject at hand.
"No, you're right. It probably is nothing. I know I'm essentially beating a dead horse at this point. But I feel excluded from my own family. It's like they're not telling me something, but I have no idea what that something could be," I said.
"Afton and I could pay them a visit, see what's up," Santiago offered. "It would be on your orders, and the masters wouldn't care as long as it made you happy."
"I'm not going to send you to spy on my family, Santiago. No matter how good the intention may be. I'm just worried about them," I said.
"They're your family, we don't blame you for being worried," Afton said.
"It's perfectly normal to be worried about your family, kid. They're family. Even if they do drink animal blood." Santiago pulled a face before continuing. "Look, you shouldn't dwell on it, otherwise it'll eat you alive. Whatever is going on, they'll come clean about it eventually. Then you can make them grovel for your forgiveness."
"Nobody is going to be doing any groveling," I said, rolling my eyes at him. "I'm not that petty."
He snorted. "Speak for yourself."
September changed to October and the castle became abuzz with excitement.
"It's because of Halloween," Felix said. "The guard throws a party in the lounge every year, but it's pretty exclusive because of the limited space. We play old Halloween movies, dance, and generally have a good time."
"That sounds awesome," I said.
"You're free to come. I'll tell Heidi to send you an invitation, too," Felix said.
"Will there be costumes?"
Felix grinned. "Oh, you bet. We've only had all year to perfect them."
I learned fairly quickly that the guard took Halloween very seriously, even if my mates didn't. The kings watched the goings-on with detached bemusement.
"It's not that we disapprove," Marcus said, around ten days before Halloween. "But it's not something we should take part in as leaders, in order to keep the respect of the guard. However, you're free to attend if you wish. You've earned their respect because they view you as an equal, as someone they can trust."
"In addition, brother, I'm quite sure we would serve to ruin the atmosphere," Aro said, crossing his legs.
"Most likely," Marcus agreed. The four of us were seated in the throne room. Though I had been promised a throne, it had not yet been built and wouldn't be until after I was changed, another measure taken to protect me and preserve my anonymity. It was best that the rest of the vampire world didn't know about me until I was able to hold my own against them. Being queen would be dangerous enough as a vampire.
As a result, whenever I spent any amount of time in the throne room (which wasn't terribly often), either one of my mates would yield their throne to me, or, more commonly, insist that I sit on their laps instead.
I was currently seated across Marcus' lap, and he had his arm wrapped loosely around my waist, looking perfectly at ease. Caius spoke. "And it is a rather exclusive party, as I'm sure your guard has already informed you. Only the higher-ranked guard members are allowed to attend, unless they take a particular liking to one of the lower members, which doesn't happen very often."
"Yes, Felix told me," I said. "He said he'd get Heidi to send me an invitation. Though I'm not completely sure why that's needed, considering we all live in the same building."
"It adds to the appeal," Aro said. "You've been informed that it's a costume party?"
"Yes. I'm excited. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with," I said.
Fortunately, I didn't have much of a wait before Halloween arrived. "The party starts at eight," Santiago said, swaggering into my quarters without even bothering to knock on the afternoon of Halloween.
I glanced up from my book. "I could have been naked, you know."
"Do you often walk around your wing naked?" he retorted.
"No. But you really should knock," I said fruitlessly. As long as Santiago knew that I was the only one occupying my quarters, he would rip off his arm before he would knock to come in.
He shrugged. "I'll consider it. What's your costume?"
"It's a secret," I said. "What's yours?"
Santiago squinted at me. "It's a secret."
"Is it? Or are you just saying that because I said it?"
"Which do you think?"
"I think you're petty enough for it to be the latter," I said, closing my book and setting it aside. "Did you need something, or are you just here to bug me since you're bored?"
"A bit of both, I suppose. Technically I'm responsible for guarding you, but I didn't see any reason not to have a little fun with it. Plus, I wanted to make sure you wouldn't be late."
"When have I ever been late for anything? Besides, I've been looking forward to this party since Felix told me about it. Trust me, I wouldn't miss it," I said.
"Did Felix tell you that most attendees come with dates?" Santiago asked.
"No. Do you have one?" I asked interestedly. He muttered something that I didn't quite catch. "What was that?"
"Maybe. What does it matter?" he grumbled.
I gave him a look. "You're the one who brought it up."
"Why are you the way that you are?" Santiago asked. "I only brought it up because I wanted to know if one of the masters is escorting you. Nobody knows, because it's not like anyone will ask the masters, and you've never brought it up. That's why I made the comment. Not because I wanted you to drill me on my love life."
"Oh, so you do have a love life! Who's the unlucky lady?" I asked, grinning.
He shot me an annoyed look. "What did I do to you to deserve this, queenliness?"
"You brought up dates. And your reaction confirms that you have one. If you don't tell me, I'm going to begin guessing names, and I'm going to start with the men," I said.
He let out a longsuffering sigh. "Fine. I'm taking Renata."
I blinked. "I thought you guys hated each other."
"We don't hate each other," Santiago said.
"So you're dating?" I asked, leaning forward.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. We're not there yet."
"Are you mates, then?" I asked curiously.
He shrugged. "I don't know. That's what it looks like. What happened to you- it's very rare. To know of a mate bond instantaneously upon meeting certainly isn't common and is unheard of among new vampires. Master Marcus believes it's something that comes with age. You have to spend time with the person to really know."
"Couldn't Marcus just tell you?"
"He could, I suppose. But some things are better left to fate, don't you think?" Santiago asked.
"I guess," I conceded. "When will you get on your costume for the party?"
"As soon as Afton comes to relieve me of my duties. He'll be in costume by then and won't have to worry about changing," Santiago said.
"What is he going as?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I don't know yet. We like to keep our costumes secret as long as possible, so it's a bigger surprise come party time. But there are several of us that are going as a group this year, so it's been harder to keep it a secret. There's a contest and everything, the elite guard usually rotates who judges every year."
"Felix should have asked me to judge, since I'm a mostly-impartial party," I said.
"Probably," Santiago agreed. There was a knock on the door and Santiago rose from where he had sprawled out on the loveseat to answer it. "That would be Afton."
I didn't immediately realize who Afton was dressed up as at first. "Take a guess," he said, shooting me a grin.
I snapped my fingers. "Pirates of the Caribbean! Will Turner," I said.
"At your service," Afton said with an exaggerated bow.
"Nice," Santiago said. "See you in a bit, queenliness."
"See you, Santiago," I said.
"So what do you think?" Afton asked. "I convinced Chelsea to go as Elizabeth Swann."
"That's awesome," I said. "Your costume is amazing."
"Thank you," he said. "What will you be dressing up as?"
"Well, I didn't have much time to prepare after Felix told me, oh, two weeks ago? So I decided to play the irony card and ordered this, among other things, online," I said, popping into my room to grab what I would be wearing. I showed it to Afton.
He laughed. "Rowan, that's awesome. But does it really count as a costume?"
"It counts," I said, my grin accented by the plastic vampire teeth in my mouth. "I'll have something better for next year, don't worry."
"I think it's great," Afton said. "We'll probably leave around 7:55 to get to the lounge, that sound good?"
"Sure. Are you the only one on guard duty for me right now?" I asked.
"Yeah. Everyone else is busy getting ready, since the masters give those attending the night off," Afton said. "But don't worry about it. I volunteered for the job."
"I won't complain," I said. "I hope you can be patient, though, it'll take me a while to get ready."
He laughed. "Yeah, I can see that."
A little under an hour later, after I had changed into full "vampire" attire, Afton and I headed to the guard lounge. "How long does the party usually go?"
"Until daybreak, but you're free to leave whenever you need. I believe Jane and Alec will be the ones to escort you back to your wing," Afton said. We stopped outside the closed doors to the guard lounge. "Are you ready for the most awesome party you will ever attend?"
"Afton," I said seriously, "I was born ready."
"Let's do this thing!" He said, and flung the doors open.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the guard, many of which were already inside. They were all wearing elaborate costumes. I noticed Felix first, partly because of his large size but primarily because he was dressed in the most realistic Batman costume I had ever seen and was standing just on the other side of the door.
"Welcome!" Felix said jovially, laughing loudly when he caught a proper look at my costume. "Nice one, Rowan! Afton, you're Will Turner, right? Chelsea got here a few minutes ago, looking like a damn accurate Elizabeth Swann."
"Right you are," Afton said before turning to me. "You coming or are you going to mingle?"
"Mingle, I think," I said. I grinned at Felix as Afton walked off. "Your costume is awesome."
"Thanks. Demetri is around here somewhere, he dressed as Superman."
"What, you couples costumed this?" I laughed.
"More like a bunch of us coordinated. I guess you probably wouldn't have heard. Heidi is Wonder Woman, Alec is Robin, and Jane is Batgirl," Felix said. "Santiago said he'd go with the DC theme too, but he's not here yet. I have a pretty good guess as to who he's going as."
"I'd guess Joker," I said. "Santiago did mention that a group of you were going with a theme."
"Oh, you did hear? Interesting. See, Joker is what I said, but Demetri thinks he's going to be Two-Face. We have a bit of a bet going," Felix said.
"What's Renata going as?" I asked.
"Harley Quinn, last I heard, but she's not here yet either," Felix said. "Corin came in just a couple minutes before you, she's dressed as Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. Ironically, Maxim came as Aragorn. You haven't met him yet, I don't believe. He's from the lower guard, so it's no surprise and probably for the best. He can be rather unpleasant, but his gift is useful, and Demetri has taken a liking to him."
"Introduce me?" I asked, my interest piqued.
"I would, but I have to stay by the door until Demetri gets over here to replace me for a bit. Maxim's in the corner if you really want to meet him," Felix said apologetically.
"Thanks," I said.
I bumped into Demetri as I headed across the room, and he greeted me with a cheerful grin. "Glad you could make it. Love the costume. The teeth are spot on."
I laughed and snapped my teeth at him, the plastic vampire teeth clicking oddly together. "You don't think it's too corny?"
He waved a hand dismissively. "No, not at all. Everyone seems to be getting a kick out of it. Where are you headed?"
"To introduce myself," I said, nodding towards where I could now see Maxim lurking in the corner. There was something distinctly off-putting about him, and he put me on-edge more than any of the other vampires currently in the room.
"He has that effect on people," Demetri said.
"Huh?" I said, turning back towards him.
"I heard your heartrate pick up," he explained. "Maxim tends to do that to people. It's a side effect of his gift."
"What is his gift?" I asked.
"Fear. Well, fear induction. Even when he's not actively using his gift, most find him too intimidating to approach. You may be immune if you shield yourself, but I'm not sure. He's a bit rude, but if you can look past that he's a decent guy," Demetri said.
In the time it took Demetri and I to have our short conversation, Maxim had shrugged off the wall he had been leaning on and strode over to us. He was tall, likely within an inch of Felix's height, and far more intimidating when his sharp eyes were focused on me.
"You're the queen," he stated, appraising me.
"Yes," I said.
"Interesting," he said. I shielded my mind with the shadows from the dim room and the effect of his fear-striking aura faded. It didn't make him physically less intimidating, but there was no longer a psychological aspect to it.
"Can I call you Max?" I asked.
"No." His tone was flat. "Do you prefer a title?"
I shook my head. "Just call me Rowan, everyone else does."
"Rowan, then," Maxim said, his tone now lacking the sharp edge it held before. I felt I had passed some sort of invisible test.
Perhaps Demetri felt that too, because he slapped Maxim on the back and said. "Well, I'll leave you to talk. Felix and I are trading places at the door, and I was due to switch places with him five minutes ago." He walked off.
There was a beat of awkward silence. "So, fear, huh?"
"Yes," Maxim said. "Shadows?"
"You can tell?" I asked, surprised.
"Partly. Fear works best in darkness," Maxim said. "And word gets around."
"Yeah, I guess it does," I said.
"If you'll excuse me, I am going to return to my corner," Maxim said.
"By all means," I said, returning the nod he sent me with the distinct feeling that I had earned his respect. I delved back into the growing number of guard members, most of which I knew by sight and not by name, in search of someone I knew.
"Rowan!" I heard Renata's familiar voice carry easily over the noise.
"Renata," I said with a smile when I spotted her. As Felix said, she was dressed as Harley Quinn, and standing with her was Santiago, who was dressed as the Joker.
"I'm glad you could make it! Santiago said you would be here," she said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Nice costume, by the way. Next year we'll bring you in on our costume theme."
"Sounds good," I agreed. "Santiago, your costume is killer."
"That's the idea," he said, lips pulled up in a smirk that was barely distinguishable through his Joker makeup. "I still can't believe you decided to dress as a vampire."
"Oh, leave her be, Santiago! She didn't have all year to prepare. Besides, it's funny," Renata scolded. "C'mon, I made sure that there would be snacks and drinks in here for you. Then we can go see what old movie they have playing right now, I think it's Dracula."
"Fitting," I said with a grin, allowing her to shepherd me through the crowd. "How many people will be here?"
"This is everyone, I believe," Santiago said from behind us. "I overheard Demetri say that everyone had arrived a few minutes ago."
"Look, there's Jane and Alec!" I said. They both looked over as I said their names. Alec waved, but Jane made her way over to me. Alec followed her.
"Happy Halloween, my queen," she said. She was in an impressively accurate Batgirl costume, which went adorably with both the DC theme and Alec's Robin costume.
"Happy Halloween, Jane. I love your costume. Yours too, Alec."
"Thank you," they said in unison. Jane continued. "We're in charge of getting you safely back to your quarters whenever you decide to leave for the night, so let us know whenever you're ready."
"I will," I assured her. "Until then, have some fun."
"We will," Alec said, shooting me a smile and a nod before grabbing Jane's hand and tugging her away.
"It was Felix's idea to have Alec go as Robin," Renata said. "But I was the one who suggested Jane be Batgirl."
"I think it's cute," I said. "And the theme is awesome. Whose idea was it to do a bunch of DC costumes?"
"Demetri's. He loves superhero movies, and we all thought it was an actually decent idea, so we decided to run with it," Santiago said. "However, Renata wasn't planning on being Harley Quinn until I asked her to attend the party with me."
"The original plan was Catwoman," Renata said. "Maybe I'll do that next year."
"That would be cool," I agreed.
"Here's your snack corner. Drinks and snacks are in the minifridge and there are more snacks in the box above, I wasn't completely sure what you would want. There is a bunch of candy in there, though. It is Halloween, after all," she said.
"Thanks, Renata. You're the best," I said, grabbing a Coke from the fridge. I took the plastic vampire fangs out of my mouth to drink. "So, there's dancing at this thing?"
"Yeah, what typically happens is after the costume contest at midnight, the movie corner gets transformed into a dance floor," Santiago said.
"Queen Rowan, so glad you could make it!" Heidi materialized from out of the bustle, perfectly looking the part of Wonder Woman. "I didn't see you come in!"
"Well, here I am! Glad you don't think that I'm crashing your party or anything," I said.
She shook her head. "No, not a chance! You're a doll, we all love you. I see you're in good hands. I need to find Felix, but I'm sure I'll see you later."
"For sure!" I said, shooting her a smile. She shot me a wink before heading off again.
"Alright, we'll make it to the movie corner eventually," Renata said, sounding slightly impatient.
"Whatever happens, happens. It's a party, love," Santiago said, draping an arm lazily over her shoulder.
She rolled her eyes but made no move to shake Santiago's arm off of her. "I want to catch at least some of the movie. It's a classic."
"Don't freak out on me," he said. "You get in front, queenliness, they'll move out of the way for you."
Santiago was right. The guard parted easily for me, and we made it to the movie corner without any delays. Calling it a movie corner was downplaying just how large the area (and projected movie screen) was. Most of the guard seated around were chatting lazily among each other while the black-and-white version of Dracula played, but I spotted Afton and Chelsea making out on a recliner not far away.
"Time to ruin someone's evening," Santiago said with delight, leaving Renata and I to stare after him in exasperated amusement as he walked over to the recliner, kicked it, and cleared his throat loudly. "It's Halloween, not Valentine's day."
"Piss off," Afton grumbled, straightening his shirt and sending Santiago an annoyed glare.
"Nah. We're here for the movie, and we can't pay attention if you're doing... that," Santiago drawled.
Renata and I glanced at each other, giggling. Chelsea rolled her eyes at Santiago, pushed herself lithely off the seat, and walked over to us, not looking even remotely embarrassed. "Happy Halloween!"
"Happy Halloween," I said, grinning. "You looked like you were enjoying the movie."
"Oh, shut up," she said, swatting me gently. "Making out at these parties is as much of a tradition as the costume contest."
"It's one of my favorite traditions," Afton said, still looking slightly ruffled as he joined Chelsea, slipping an arm around her waist. "Didn't realize you and Santiago were a thing, Renata."
"Oh, we're something," she said. "Though I'm not quite sure what that thing is, yet."
"Fortunately, we've got all the time in the world," Santiago said.
I didn't get to bed that night until around three in the morning, long after Theodore, a member of the lower guard, was named winner of the costume contest for his incredible dementor costume, I danced with most of my guard, and played a game of Clue that started out normal and ended with Demetri and Felix arguing over whether the killer could be the one that was murdered.
"It was a set-up! He hired a hitman!" Demetri exclaimed.
"That's not how the game works!" Felix argued.
"I'm going to bed," I said, even though I was still hyped up on enough caffeine and sugar to give a rabbit a heart attack. I had drank about five sodas and eaten more M&Ms than I was willing to count.
"Oh! It is late, isn't it?" Felix asked, his attention diverted. "Well, get some rest, and we'll see you in a few hours."
"I was the killer," Jane said was she, Alec, and I made our way back to my quarters.
"Really? Well, we're not going to tell Demetri that," I said.
Alec laughed. "You'd think he'd be better at investigating, considering he's our tracker."
"Clearly not," I said, yawning as I reached the door. "Are you guys stuck guarding me the rest of the night?"
"Unless one of the masters are present, yes. We don't mind," Jane said.
Alec opened the door for me, and I spotted Caius seated on my couch. He was flipping through the channels on the TV but looked over when I arrived.
"You guys are free to go, then. See you later," I said, shooting them a grin.
"My queen," they said in unison, dipping their heads. Alec shut the door, and now that I was away from the bustle and excitement of the party, I yawned.
"You appear to have had a good time," Caius observed, turning off the TV and rising to his feet.
I smiled happily at him. "I did! It was great. I understand why the guard looks forward to it every year."
"Hmm, yes. Though I can hardly accept you left your wing like this, looking so incredibly tempting," he purred, his fingers curling around my hip, pulling me to his chest.
"Caius," I murmured, slipping my arms around his neck. He was the one who bridged the gap, his cool lips soft and insistent against my own. Caius was a ruthless man. Cold, stern; he had to be. But his kisses never were. He was more of a shower than a teller, demonstrating through action and expression what he couldn't verbally express.
That was why, when he breathed a ragged "I love you," between kisses, I pulled back, surprised. Not because he loved me, but because he said it. For Aro and Marcus, verbal affection was as easy as breathing. It wasn't the same for Caius.
He was worried, I could see it in his eyes. Scared that he had revealed to me what he felt too soon. "I love you, too," I murmured, not wanting to break the fragile moment between us.
"I love you," Caius repeated before pulling me back to him, kissing me with barely controlled restraint. He lifted me and I wrapped my arms around his waist. I didn't realize he had moved until he lowered us on my bed, leaving a trail of kisses down my neck as I caught my breath. I felt his teeth graze over my jugular, so gently he didn't even graze the skin. He pressed a soft kiss to it before rolling off of me, despite my protest.
"Amore, if I don't stop now, I won't," he said, rolling onto his side so that he could see me properly. "I want to. But you are still healing. And if I lost control, even a little, and harmed you, I would never forgive myself."
"I understand," I said, sitting up. "I'm just going to change out of my dress, wait here."
"Feel free to change here," he said, his eyes lazily roaming my figure. I simply laughed as I grabbed my pajamas, which so happened to be soccer shorts and one of Aro's button-ups.
When I returned Caius had discarded his shoes and suit jacket, his sleeves rolled up to the elbow and shirt partially unbuttoned. I eyed him appreciatively before crawling into bed, my face nestled into his chest. Caius began to hum softly, and smiled at me when I pulled back a little to give him a questioning look.
"It's a lullaby my mother used to sing to me every night. It was the only thing that calmed me enough to rest. Sleep, I'll be here when you wake," he said, kissing my forehead. I laid my head back against his chest and let my eyes slip shut, lulled to sleep by his deep voice singing a song that could have been as old as time itself.
Edited 6/26/2021