The throne room was ordinarily silent, unless the court was in session, but that night it vibrated with something sharper.
Marcus sat stiffly, eyes half-lidded, as if he were tracking a sound only he could hear. Aro and Caius exchanged looks - long ago, they'd learn to pay attention to any expression of Marcus's that changed.
Marcus twitched as he watched a gold thread - blinding, pulsing - erupt into his vision without warning. It snapped into existence like a star being born. His fingers that had clenched the arms of his stone throne trembled.
"Marcus?" Aro leaned forward, voice gentle but edged with urgency. "What is it?"
"She's growing closer..." His voice cracked, "To a mortal man."
Aro went eerily still, almost blending into the stone where he sat.
Caius stood abruptly, the force of his feet slamming into the marble below him, causing fissures across the stone.
"She feels...safe." Marcus continued.
Aro's jaw tightened, "With whom?"
"His heart is pure," Marcus whispered, "A father figure."
Caius snarled, "He is, but a mortal, and he dares to interfere with the soulmate bond of the Volturi Kings!" Suddenly, the suspicion of her fled and was replaced by fear, not of losing power but of losing her before he even met her.
Then, as if she were answering them, the three kings felt it.
A tug.
A pulse.
A soft fondness pushing through into their nearly-immortal cores.
Aro gasped for a breath he did not need.
Caius swore.
And Marcus shuddered as pleasure ran down his spine.
Aro pressed a hand to his chest; the hand trembled, "I can...feel her. Her emotions are faint but present."
Caius's voice was a near hiss, "She is forming deep emotional bonds without us."
Marcus, ever the peacemaker, sought to clarify.
"With a mortal protector. It's innocent, no passion in the bond. Merely her trusting him, like a daughter would a father."
"It doesn't matter. She is ours." Caius shook his head, "We are leaving tonight. We hunt her trail down in America, and we retrieve her before her attachment grows roots."
But Demetri, who entered hesitantly, "Masters...the Southern Isle covens demand immediate tribunal judgement. There are disputes over regional territory, and the petition cannot be delayed due to our accords. The council of eight representatives has already arrived."
Caius's hands clenched at his sides, "Deal with them without us."
Demetri shook from the glare his master sent him, but still proceeded with caution, "Master, they petitioned you specifically, and due to our treaty refusal would mean war."
All three kings' expressions fluttered shut.
War would delay them for months.
War would risk exposure.
War would leave them more distant from the girl who was reshaping their destiny.
Marcus whispered, "The bond strengthens every hour."
Caius slammed his hand against a column, making it crumble into dust around him.
Aro turned toward Marcus, "Is she...happy?"
Marcus nodded.
The thread thrummed again - soft, golden, steady.
Aro felt an ache deep in his bones.
Caius felt anger that coiled dangerously into something like longing.
Marcus watched the father-daughter bond grow.
Aro spoke with finality, "We settle the tribunal. We proceed flawlessly and immediately."
Caius growled, "And when that is done..."
Marcus finished their thoughts, "We go to America."
Marcus looked into the distance, knowing the bond that grew was not romantic, but it was honest and deepening.
It was enough to make three kings feel something unfamiliar: jealousy.