𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒, Volturi Kings

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ¹⁴

I don't think I could have replicated Marcus' shocked expression.

"What do you mean she's gone? Gifts can't just leave a vampire out of the blue," he said rapidly, looking me up and down to see if I was okay. "That simply can't be true. Gifts are a part of a vampire, not just some fleeting-"

"She's not technically gone, she just hasn't been saying anything. When I look at someone I just know instead of her telling me in my head. It's like she's been watching and not doing anything for over a month now and I don't know what I did wrong. I thought we were friends," My voice cracks at the memory of our old conversations. "I've been a vampire for three years now. It's been the same thing over and over again for three years. Why did she have to leave? I just want her to talk to me again."

"That's why you've been out here," he realizes, walking closer to me. "Tesoro, I'm so sorry. If we had known we could have tried to help you. I've never heard of a gift like yours, but it must have been caused by something."

"I don't know what it could have been caused by, Marcus. It doesn't make any sense," My mate embraced me, holding me close in his arms. "Three years and she's never been this distant with me. It feels like she's gone but she's still there, just watching from afar and letting me learn without her. It's awful. I hate it."

Heading back to our nest, I saw Aro and Caius playing a game of chess when we arrived inside, looking like they were about to break out into a fight over it. They both turned to me and put away the chess board, as they would be able to pick up where they had left off some other time.

"Cara mia," Caius crooned, making his way to where Marcus and I were. "You seem upset, mia regina. Please don't be upset."

Aro carefully made his way over to me, peppering kisses on my jawline. Once he had come up to kiss my head, his eyes glazed over, shifting through my thoughts and memories. When he came back, he let out a deep sigh. "Mia regina, perché non ce l'hai detto prima? Dobbiamo sapere cosa sta succedendo nella tua vita, il che significa anche il tuo dono."

"Mi dispiace, Aro, non volevo tenerlo nascosto. Tutta questa cosa è stata stressante e so che saresti preoccupato per questo. Prometto che non succederà più," I apologized, nuzzling myself into my king's neck. "Ti amo così tanto tesoro."

"Anche noi ti amiamo, mia regina."

____________________________________________

The rest of my week was spent worrying about every little thing that came to my mind. Was this too old? Maybe. Was I being too annoying? Perhaps. Did I know what I was doing even when I had been queen for the past three years? I doubt it.

All of my worries had come to me at once, never leaving me alone. Aro tried to make sure I was comfortable at all times, but physical comfort wasn't what I needed. I was emotionally uncomfortable, the worst sort of discomfort. I hated how I felt but I didn't know how to change it. It wasn't like vampires could go into therapy for their issues, we had to work everything out all by ourselves.

Even with my coven around me, I was becoming more and more isolated from everyone. I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to read or do things by myself. It got lonely. Being a vampire was getting lonely.

What had me confused was mostly the why. I had been abandoned so many times during my life, but this time I didn't expect it. She was there with me, chatting away, one day, and the next she basically just vanished into thin air.

I had done my fair share of reading over the books that had been created on vampires and their gifts and limitations. Nothing could tell me why my gift was acting up. Maeve didn't even seem like a gift, more like a literal person inside of my head. Aro had told me that she didn't seem like a split personality from the way my thoughts moved with her, so what was she?