Hekate was true to her word. Her and Marcus didn't leave the bedroom until the sun rose. Not that either of them was complaining, especially not Marcus. He barely noticed the sun rising until Hekate's skin began to sparkle in the light that was just starting to touch the bed. Her head was on his chest, her eyes closed and just enjoying being held. The blankets had long been kicked off the bed, leaving her bare skin exposed to the morning air. Marcus watched, transfixed, as the sunlight slowly covered every inch of her marble skin. The room lit up and sparkled from their skin, making the moment seem all that more magical.

Hekate slowly opened her eyes and smiled at Marcus, noticing how happy he seemed. "I've been naked for hours, surely you're tired of the view by now?"

Marcus smirked, tilting her head up enough to capture her lips with his. He waited until she began earnestly kissing back to bite her lips. "Never, dear. You are breathtakingly gorgeous, and I will never have enough of you."

Hekate groaned before pulling on his hair in retaliation. "That was just rude." She was too impatient for the surprise to get drawn back into another long lovemaking session, no matter how much she wanted that.

Marcus, able to guess just what made her frustrated, chuckled softly in response before kissing her forehead. "Are you ready for today, dear? We have a small road trip before we get to your actual surprise."

Hekate sat up quickly, her hair hanging down around them like a thick curtain. "Of course, I'm ready! The suspense has been killing me."

Marcus laughed softly at how quickly Hekate crawled off him, rushing to the bathroom to get ready. "It's not going anywhere."

"Shush! I'm excited!"

Marcus was still laughing when Demetri and Heidi entered the room, each carrying a tray in their arms. "Ah, that's where you two ran off to."

Demetri couldn't hide his grin from the king, "Our sensitive hearing made it hard to be in the vicinity."

Heidi left the men to themselves, making her footsteps loud enough for the queen to hear. She entered the huge bathroom to set the tray on the countertop, laying a garment bag on the rack beside the shower. "I'm sorry for intruding, your majesty. I brought you some blood and the outfit your mom sent for today."

Hekate wasn't bothered by Heidi walking in on her, the shower's glass was frosted so only a faint shadow could be seen. "It's alright, Heidi." She wasn't fazed by Alice sending an outfit for her to wear either, but she did pause at the mention of the blood. She had been thirsty after the long hours spent in bed but didn't want to leave to hunt.

What really made Hekate pause however, was the type of blood. She could tell immediately that the blood was human. It was too sweet to be any kind of animal. She had drunk human blood for the first time with Caius but that… That time wasn't planned. It was because she was going to kill that human anyways. She lost control with being so close to him, able to smell and hear the blood running through his veins. This time she didn't even know who it came from, what kind of person they were and if they deserved to die, which she was sure they did. The Volturi were used to killing humans to feed from them, not caring if they deserved it or not.

What if she drank the blood and it was from an innocent human? Maybe a new mother, a young girl or boy, someone pure and who didn't deserve to die just to sate her thirst. She would be a monster if she did that, right? She was a vampire; she was going to have to drink human blood. She couldn't go back to just drinking animal blood anymore. Not since she had a taste of human blood… She just hadn't thought about this enough yet. She did need to drink blood before going on her date, she was sure they'd be around humans. If she let her control slip then she'd be right back to this moment, drinking an innocent human's blood.

Eventually, Hekate was going to have to decide about her feeding. Otherwise she was going to have this existential crisis every time she drank blood. And that would be one hell of an eternity. For now, she would drink it though. Hekate sighed as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping the bathrobe around herself. "Thank you, Heidi. I'll be out soon."

Heidi could see that Hekate was hesitant around her, probably since this was the first time that they'd been alone. She was never really brought out on errands with the kings much, instead spending her time in Volterra luring humans to the city. Felix and the twins were staying at the castle because Aro and Caius had business to attend to. Heidi and Demetri got along well, and Marcus was more than happy to let Heidi get away from the castle for a while.

"Ma'am… Is something wrong?"

Hekate held a glass in her hands, staring down as the red liquid swirled around. "I will be… Just trying to get used to not being a vegetarian I guess…" She smiled sadly at Heidi, dropping her shoulders. "I'm a sad excuse for a Volturi Queen, huh? I'm afraid to drink human blood because I don't know what kind of human died for this, just to keep me alive."

Heidi heard Marcus stop moving in the suite, along with Demetri. She moved behind the queen, taking the brush from the queen's hands. She then gently began brushing her hair, making sure not to tug too hard on the tangles. "You're just unfairly comparing yourselves to our coven, your majesty. We've struggled with this, all of us. We were human at one time and adjusting to killing your former species to survive…" She sighed softly, looking into the mirror at Hekate's now bright red eyes from her recent meal. The same eyes she and the rest of their coven had. "It's hard to get used to. We just make it look easy because we've lost touch with our human selves… It's been centuries since we've been turned, your majesty."

Hekate nodded softly when Heidi put the brush down, thanking her quietly. "I've never really thought about any of you struggling with drinking human blood…" She looked up when Marcus opened the door, smiling tightly at her mate. "I'm sorry for being so dramatic."

Marcus let Heidi pass before tilting Hekate's chin up, so she'd look him in the eyes. "Don't you dare apologize, dear." He pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. "This is your journey, nothing you decide is the wrong choice. Nothing you decide will make me or my brothers mad, much less your family. We love you."

Hekate hummed as she leaned into his embrace, feeling her dead heart warming in her chest. She really didn't deserve her new family, but she wasn't going to ever let them go. She loved them just as much as they loved her. "Thank you."

{X}

Marcus wasn't paying any attention to the scenery flying past the car they rented, having his attention caught by something far more beautiful. Hekate was leaning against the opposite door, her elbow on the doorframe and her chin in her palm. A gentle smile pulled her red lips up at the corners, little dimples showing from the movement. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, gently curled. Her arms were covered from the sun by a long sleeved, black blouse that hugged her tightly. Her legs, now crossed over each other, were covered by the tightest black jeans he's ever seen on anyone. The small-heeled boots gave her a little height boost, which he found adorable.

Marcus barely registered the road Demetri took, the one leading to their destination. How could he when he had a goddess sitting before him? When she turned to him, those newly red eyes peering into his own, he didn't know how he was so lucky to have her as a mate.

Hekate sighed at him, shaking her head fondly at her mate. "You haven't stopped staring since I got dressed. I don't know which is worse, your stares when I'm clothed or not."

Marcus chuckled, reaching over to pull her into his side. "How can I not? You are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen, dear." He took her hand in his, kissing the back of it while smiling down at her. "Nothing could ever hold my attention like you."

Hekate felt like her heart leapt into her throat, nearly choking while trying not to cry from the emotion she could see in Marcus' eyes, let alone her own feelings. "Stop it."

Demetri cleared his throat unnecessarily as he pulled up to the parking area, glad to see that there were only two other cars. "Sorry to interrupt, but we're here."

Hekate beat the other three to open her own door, stepping out with her jaw dropped. "What is this?"

Marcus walked over to her side, taking her hand in his. "This is Selinunte, or Selinus. It was a small Greek town with tons of temples dedicated to the gods and goddesses. Quite a few are still standing, in some sense. That's why it's such an important archeological site."

Hekate hummed in response as she began walking towards the temples, feeling like she just needed to explore the area. "That's amazing… Did you visit this town before it fell?"

Marcus kept in pace with her, barely able to contain his excitement for the real surprise. "The entire Volturi Royal family did on occasion. I still remember it quite fondly, I'm sure Aro or Caius wouldn't. There wasn't much here besides this huge system of temples."

Hekate looked up at Marcus then, noticing the way his eyes roamed over crumbled parts of the ruins as they got closer. She sometimes forgot just how old her mates were, just how big the divide between them really was. The twins once told her the royal family were all born and changed around 1400 BC. She was only born in 1987, almost three and a half thousand years later. They were literal figures of legends, being represented in almost every religion around the world. They controlled the strings behind everything, kept tabs on all the vampires in the world. She couldn't even fathom just how much money and property they owned.

And they were in love with her?

Marcus smiled at her, noticing just how hard she was staring at him as they walked. "Done daydreaming, dear?"

Hekate grinned bashfully at him, hiding her face in his shoulder. "Sorry… Was I ignoring you?"

Marcus chuckled as he stroked the back of her hair, kissing the top of her head. "No, I could see you were deep in thought." He then gently tipped her chin up to look into her eyes, "Though we are almost to the reason I brought you here… It's around this last temple."

Hekate looked back, realizing she must have been walking at a vampire's pace because they were at the end of the town's reach. "Oops."

Marcus laughed at her shocked expression, thinking it was too adorable and wished he had brought a camera. "That's alright, dear." He leaned forward and took advantage of the position, kissing her. "This is your surprise."

Hekate groaned as she pulled her lips away from his, her willpower not strong enough yet to do so easily. She was addicted to him and he knew it, especially with the deep chuckle she heard from him. She narrowed her eyes in response but ignored that in favor of the 'surprise.' She turned around the corner and stopped in shock. There was a huge sectioned off area before her, which was very strange considering none of the other temples were being worked on. This temple was at the very end of the 'city' as well. It was almost on the cliff edge, overlooking the ocean.

The temple had columns being re-built around the outside of the inner building, the marble glistening in the sun. The doors to the inside were open, the darkness seeming to call out to her. She could just make out the marble floor from where she was, not able to see much else. "What is this?"

Marcus lead her to the gate sectioning off the construction zone, letting her in. "Your surprise. As soon as we met you, I just knew we needed to do this. This restoration project is all for you, dear Hekate."

Hekate felt like the power inside her was bubbling beneath her skin, feeling anxious. Using her powers on the guard during training was one thing, but actually hurting her mates or her family would devastate her. She kept an eye on Marcus, but he wasn't reacting so her power wasn't affecting him, yet. "I'm confused… I've never been here? Why did you need to restore this temple, just this one, in this one city?" Her power never did this before, reacting to something besides her emotions. It felt like she out of control of her own power, which was terrifying. It was this temple in particular making her feel this way. The rest of the city didn't affect her, only starting when she approached this building.

Hekate was tugged back from walking towards the steps to the temple, turning back to see Marcus frozen in spot. She was tugged back because her hand was in his, jerking when his body didn't move with hers. "Marcus?" She moved back to him looking closely at him. His eyes were staring at the temple, not moving at all. His entire body was tense and unwavering. If she didn't know he was a vampire, she would mistake him for a statue. He didn't seem the type to joke around like this, which confused her even more. She moved her hand in front of his eyes, hoping his eyes would move to her at least, "Marcus?"

"He's not going to answer you, child. I've frozen everyone around us."

Hekate turned quickly when the voice called out to her, watching as a woman walked out of the shadows of the temple. She didn't step into the sun but stepped out just enough to be visible. She was barely over six foot, towering over Hekate. Her hair was pure silver, falling to her waist. The very tips of her hair were black, looking like it was traveling up the strands instead of starting from her scalp. Her eyes were yellow but not the same shade as the vegetarian vampires. Her eyes were a pale yellow, seeming to glow in the shadow she surrounded herself in. Her almost white skin contrasted against the pure black gown she wore, the fabric clinging to her curvy figure before pooling behind her ankles. The only jewelry she wore was a huge silver necklace, three moon phases interconnected that hung on her breasts.

Hekate couldn't hear a heartbeat but had a sinking feeling in her gut. This woman wasn't a vampire nor a human. So, what exactly was she? "Who are you, what do you want?" Hekate stepped in front of Marcus, tensing up as she felt threatened.

The woman chuckled as she watched Hekate panic. "I'm not going to hurt you or your mate, dear one." She held out her hand towards Hekate, smiling peacefully. "There is much to discuss and not much time, please, Hekate. You know you can trust me, deep in your very core."

Hekate frowned when she realized she was right… She was only afraid because she didn't know what was going on, but not of the woman. As soon as she saw her, her body relaxed. "I do feel that…" She hesitantly stepped forward, glancing back at her mate. She frowned when he hadn't moved at all, hoping he'd be okay when this stranger was finished with her. She turned back to face her, surprised to see they were face to face now, or as much as they could be with their height difference. "Who are you?"

The woman was looking her over head to toe, a soft smile on her lips. She didn't answer Hekate right away, too distracted. She then sighed, grabbing Hekate's hand. She ignored how Hekate gasped from the contact, feeling electricity shoot up her arm from the contact. When the woman lifted their hands to eye level, a white triple moon symbol glowed on their wrists, matching the other's perfectly. "Who do you think I am?"

Hekate looked into her eyes, feeling like she was going to be sick. Her heart felt like it was in her throat, nearly choking her. "Hecate?"

Hecate bowed her head slightly to Hekate, nodding her head. "Your mates renovating an old temple of mine caught my attention, bringing me here. I waited for you to arrive, wanting to talk to you." She then pulled Hekate into the shadows of her temple. She led the way into the dark room, candles flaring to life when she entered. The candles cast a dim, soft light through the room. Hecate's gown swished behind her as she walked, looking like the night sky. "You need to be prepared, child…" She turned around when she came to the huge statue in the middle of the room, a beautiful portrayal of the goddess etched in marble. The real Hecate leaned against the statue's legs, looking relaxed even though her expression let Hekate know something terrible was going to happen.

"Prepared for what?" She could barely process the hinted danger, her mind still reeling that this was a real goddess before her. Not just any goddess but her namesake, the one her powers were derived from. She was the cheap imitation of this goddess, even looking like the woman.

Hecate pointed to the pool of water at the statue's feet, flowers floating in the water and reflecting the statue's face. "Very soon you will be at a crossroads between your families…" She waved her hand, images of the Volturi facing off against the Cullen Coven fading through the water. Hekate was in the middle of them, trying to keep them both at bay. "You will fight this fight many times in the coming months, daughter."

Hekate kneeled to peer into the water, biting her lip with worry when she saw the kings yelling at her, her parents standing behind her and yelling at the kings. "Many times?" She looked up at the goddess with worry clear in her eyes and on her face. "What can I do?" She didn't care at all about Edward or Bella, but the rest of them were angels. She loved her new coven as well; she didn't want them fighting!

Hecate gently placed her finger under Hekate's chin, pulling up until Hekate was at her full height. "I can't tell you that, daughter… The fates are already mad at me for keeping you from joining Hades in the underworld…" Hecate shushed Hekate by continuing, "But I have sent you help… They'll be coming to find you soon. Just be open to them, I've picked them all for you."

"Hekate!"

Hekate jumped, turning her head towards the temple entrance when she heard Marcus call out to her. She glanced back but Hecate was gone, the candles all snuffing out at once. "Did that…" She looked down at her wrist to see her moon mark slowly fading out, a smile pulling at her lips. "Good to know I'm not insane."

Hecate watched from the shadows as her daughter ran out to her mate, hearing Hekate calming him down. She sighed sadly, hugging herself as she remembered how bright Hekate's smile was out there. "It's going to break my heart if fate plays out the way the fates want…" She looked down at her own wrist, the mark fading the further Hekate got. "I know the love a mother feels for their daughter… Hekate is going to be devastated."