Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

07. enraptured

1996

Marcus and Claire sat across from one another outside of the small, quiet café, a warm cup of coffee in front of each of them even though only one of them would actually drink it. They had easily fallen into conversation; he revealed he was a local, having lived in Volterra all of his life, which was partially true, and she had told him about her hometown back in Alaska. He had shared his favorite cultural places to visit in Italy, though he hadn't seen many of them for decades. She had questioned him about his hobbies, which sent him off into a tangent about his favorite books and authors while she hung on his every word.

She was still fiddling with her ring absent-mindedly, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by Marcus. He was drinking in every inch of her, committing her to memory. The way she chewed her lip when she was thinking deeply, the way her brows scrunched up when she wasn't sure of something, the way she tilted her head to the side minutely when she heard something interesting, the way her eyes lit up when she was talking about something she was passionate about. He loved the way she looked at him, her face serene as she listened to everything he told her, never once looking bored.

Claire was telling him about her travels, the places she's seen and the places she still wanted to go when she noticed that a few members of her tour group running off in the direction of the minibus. She quickly spared a look at her delicate golden watch, the last gift from her parents, and her eyes widened in panic. She scrambled from her seat, almost knocking over the rest of her drink, and gathered her bag and jacket.

Marcus gracefully left his seat, trying not to panic as she rushed to leave. He caught her arm and she froze, looking up to meet his concerned eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked carefully, listening to her rapid heartbeat.

"I'm late! The bus is going to leave without me," she did not want to be left behind in a city she barely knew, miles away from where to was staying. While she was very much enjoying her time with Marcus, he lived here, and she was just a tourist. Despite knowing he was a vampire, a human drinking one at that, she didn't feel threatened or like he was simply playing with her. The soft and worried look he was giving her in this moment convinced her that he had no ill-intent towards her.

As much as he wanted her to stay with him and spend the rest of the afternoon enraptured with each other, he knew he couldn't come on too strong or risk scaring her off. Her comfort and happiness were now his priority. He'd send a guard to keep her safe while she's in Rome, he couldn't risk her safety now that he's finally found her.

"Can I walk you there?" he asked, polite as ever. He didn't want to leave her just yet.

She grinned in response, her whole face lighting up with joy. He offered her his arm and she gladly took it, linking their arms and leading him away from the café. Although she was in a rush and slightly dragging him along, they still kept up conversation. Marcus couldn't wipe the smile off of his face, his soulmate was an absolute delight.

When they arrived, he didn't even bother to hide his disappointment. It seemed like everyone was impatiently waiting for her and a few of the older couples scowled at the young woman. A sharp glare from Marcus seemed to intimidate them into looking away from her. Claire sighed deeply and turned to face him with a sad smile.

"Thank you, Marcus," he almost melted at the sound of his name on her lips, "I had a lovely time."

"My absolute pleasure, tesoro," he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand, fighting a smile when she flushed bright scarlet. "I hope I see you again."

After a moment of contemplation, she opened her bag and dug around until she found her sketch book and a pencil. Scribbling on a page for a moment then tearing it out, she handed the piece of paper to him.

"My number," she elaborated, "Well, the number of where I'm staying at the moment. Please, feel free to call me. I'd like to see you again too."

With a wave of confidence, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek before rushing onto the bus, apologizing to the grumpy driver on her way to a spare seat. Marcus was too stunned to move for a moment, before touching his cheek where she kissed him.

As the bus took off down the street, Claire waved at him from the window. He returned it slowly, still slightly dazed by her bold action. Once the bus was gone and the side street was empty again, Marcus pocketed her phone number and turned to a dark alleyway.

"You can come out, Demetri."

The vampire stepped out from the shadows, bowing his head to Marcus. He was dressed in a dark suit and a matching, crimson-lined cape that sat on his broad shoulders. Although Demetri was a tracker and an important part of the Volturi coven, he took it upon himself to play personal guard to Marcus when he ventured from the castle. Perhaps it was the king's placid nature that made the tracker feel like he needed the protection.

"I need you to follow her and keep her safe, do you understand?" Marcus was stern, his voice portraying more emotion than it had in centuries.

"Yes, Master," Demetri replied. He had been watching the king from a distance all day; he watched him interact with the human girl and could tell by the shift in the usually stoic vampire's demeanor that she meant an awful lot to him already.

"Protect her with your life, or yours won't be worth living," Marcus turned in the direction of the castle and started walking. Demetri took that as his dismissal and took off in the direction he could sense Claire, keeping to the dark alleyways and then the thick forests to keep himself hidden.

Marcus was focused on breaking the news of his new mate to his brothers, the fact she was human would prove a problem and he was unsure how Aro would take it, for he had a particular dislike for most mortals, seeing them as inferior to vampires and nothing but walking blood bags.

No, he wouldn't let his brothers come between him and his new chance at happiness. If he had to, he'd leave and take her away to keep her safe from them. 

a/n: slightly a filler chapter, but i thought it was important to show that the bond is one that needs to be developed, not one that makes them fall in love with each other instantly. 

also, there won't be any Bella-bashing in this story. we're all about that female empowerment in this house.