"Let them in, Rose," came Carlisle's voice from further in the house.

She stepped aside with a sigh and Liliana dropped her bags inside the door before pushing past her to get to their dad who waited at the top of the stairs. Lily threw her arms around him, relief flooding through her when he reciprocated the gesture. She buried her head in his neck. "I've missed you. So much."

"I see you brought company with you," he said as he stepped back. She reluctantly let him go and moved aside so he could greet Garrett. He shook his old friend's hand. "Good to see you, Garrett. It's been awhile."

"Too long," the man agreed.

Lily's gaze moved between them noticing a warmth in their reunion that seemed to be missing from her own, despite the hug. "You remember Sebastian," she introduced as the other man stepped forward. Carlisle greeted him with a nod.

It was then she noticed the others gathered in the room though none of them moved to greet her. Hurt buzzed through her and she focused on locking down the blocks on her emotions. The blocks that would keep any of those feelings from traveling through the bonds. Her family examined her as if she were any stranger off the street not even sending a smile in her direction.

"Where's Jasper?" she asked knowing that he would be happy to see her even if no one else was.

"He and Alice have gone to visit Peter and Charlotte," Esme explained.

Liliana's heart sank. "Oh."

Garrett stepped closer to her which surprised her but she'd take whatever comfort she could get. "What are you doing here, Lily?" Edward asked. She glanced at him to find him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Carlisle sent him a look. "I think what he means is we weren't expecting you."

"Yes, you should have called," Esme added.

Emmett was the only one who hadn't spoken and from the looks of things he had no intention of doing so. He was ignoring them all while he played a video game with his headphones on.

"Whatever happened with Bella Swan?" she asked.

Rosalie snorted. "Is that why you're here? Checking up on us, your majesty?"

Lily physically flinched from the venom in her voice. Instead of responding, she shifted her attention back to Carlisle. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," he gestured toward his office and she led the way. He stepped in behind her and shut the door. "It's been soundproofed since you were last here."

He took his seat while she settled into one across from him. She chewed at the inside of her lip while she contemplated what to say. "I have to be honest, this wasn't the reception I was expecting. From any of you."

He hummed in agreement and leaned back in his chair. "Tell me what's going on, Lily, and then we'll talk about the rest."

Once she started talking, the words flowed until she had told him everything.

"This doesn't make any sense," he said after a stretch of silence.

She shrugged. "It's the truth."

He shook his head. "It's not that. The kings asked you to leave?"

"No. They told me to leave. There's a difference."

"That doesn't coincide with the call I received from Aro at all."

Lily straightened in her seat. Her heart raced at the mention of her mate. As much as she didn't want to, she missed them. "He called you? What did he say?"

Carlisle studied her in silence for a long moment. "He said that you left with no warning and no provocation. That there was reason to believe you wouldn't be returning."

She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. None of this made any sense, just as nothing had for months now.

"He also insinuated that they would most displeased if we allowed you to stay here instead of sending you on your way."

His words had her eyes flying open. "What? Why?"

He shook his head as if not sure himself. "Perhaps they believe you will return sooner if you have nowhere else to go?"

Shifting in her seat, she pulled the letter from her pocket that had been read a hundred times by now. She tossed it in front of him. "I received that in the hour before I left. According to that, they don't want me back and were mistaken for ever wanting me in the first place."

He took his time reading the letter before finally handing it back to her. "And they haven't tried to contact you since you left?"

"I forgot my phone in the rush to leave, but they know Sebastian is with me and they haven't reached out to him."

"I'm going to be honest, Lily. I don't understand any of this. On the one hand, you're here, clearly upset with a letter all but casting you out. Marcus' handwriting is unmistakable. On the other, I have one of my best friends calling me practically in tears because his mate has left him for no reason."

She opened her mouth to protest that there was a plenty of reason but he held up a hand to stop her. "Let me finish, please. On top of all of that, none of you are acting like you should. The men I know would never write that letter. Marcus has even more of a reason to cherish a mate bond than most. They also wouldn't have allowed petty disagreements and arguments to come between you. And I would have put money on Aro asking me to keep you here until they could come collect you."

He moved around his desk to lean against the front of it so there was less room between them. "And since when do you not fight tooth and nail for those you love? The girl that left here to go to Volterra would have shoved that letter in her mates' faces and stated her case until you all had everything figured out."

Irritation slithered through her at the knowledge that he was right. So, it wasn't just everyone else's behavior that had changed. It was hers as well and she hadn't noticed in the slightest.

Carlisle rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and sighed. "Jasper's absence isn't coincidental. There was a falling out regarding the recent change in attitude where you're concerned. He felt some space would be beneficial."

"I'm taking this as confirmation that this isn't all in my head, just so you know. What now?" She may be queen but there was still a part of her that wanted to let her dad to fix everything. Gods, she hoped he could because she was running out of ideas.

"Give me a couple of days. Let me talk to the kings and a few other people to see what I can figure out."

She stood with a nod and he placed a hand on her arm in a comforting gesture.

"We'll figure this out, Lily." He sounded far more confident than she felt.

When she opened the door to the office, they were greeted with shouting coming from the living room. She sped there in a second to find Garrett and Rosalie facing each other down. "What the hell is going on here?"

When no one answered, she took a step closer. "Regardless of how you all feel about me at the moment, I am still the queen so answer the fucking question."

Rosalie shot a sneer in her direction but said nothing. Sebastian stepped forward. "Your family here was less than complimentary and wanted to know when we were leaving. Garrett was defending you."

Garrett shot a glare in his direction. "She didn't need details. You could have just said it was a disagreement."

Lily's heart sunk. Her mates didn't want her. Her family didn't want her. Where was left for her to go? Obviously noting her upset, Sebastian moved toward her only to be stopped by Garrett's hand on his chest. "I'm already in a mood, boy. Don't test me."

The younger vampire put his hands up and stepped back. Anger flashed through his eyes but he was smart enough not to press his luck. Once he'd backed off and Garrett could relax his guard a bit, he reached out and grasped Lily's hand in his own. He pulled her closer to his side before draping his arm across her shoulders. She couldn't help but lean into him. This was the Garrett she knew and loved. She wondered where the hell he'd been and what had brought him back.

As she ran her eyes over her family and saw no welcome from any of them, she swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I think some space might be good for all of us. Is the studio still mine?"

"Of course, it is," Carlisle answered before anyone else had a chance to speak.

She nodded. "We'll retire there for the time being." On her way to the door, she stopped by the bar and grabbed a nearly full bottle of expensive whiskey.

"Hey, that's mine," Emmett called after them.

"You shouldn't be drinking, you're in high school," Lily yelled over her shoulder before stepping out of the house and slamming the door behind her.

***

Several hours passed. Lily and Garrett were passing the bottle back and forth while Sebastian headed into the city to hunt. They were just enjoying the silence. Occasionally passing a word along with the alcohol. "Thanks for sticking up for me. You didn't have to do that."

"I did," he assured with a nod.

"Because I'm the queen?" She couldn't keep the hint of bitterness from her tone.

"Yes, but you're also my friend. Sorry I seemed to forget that, Lily Bit."

His words and the nickname sent a wave of such profound relief through Liliana that she immediately began to cry. "Oh gods, I'm sorry." She tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks only to have them replaced with new ones.

He made a sound of disagreement as he pulled her into his side and wrapped his arm around her in a side hug. "Just cry, sweetheart. Knowing you, you're overdue."

So, she did. By the time the crying jag was finished, her head was in Garrett's lap while he played with her hair. "Why were you like that when you first saw me?"

"Honestly? I'm not certain. I was extremely irritated that you were there though I had no recollection as to why I should feel that way. It faded the more time we spent together. Now, it's like it was never there."

Lily hummed in acknowledgment of his words but said nothing. Garrett wove a braid into the side of her hair securing it with a band she handed him.

"Someone's coming," he announced a few hours later.

She'd heard them as well but wasn't alarmed. It was either Sebastian finally returning or her family. No one else ventured into this part of the wood. The door opened and she felt a gentle prodding at her mind. "Hello, Edward."

"Can we talk?"

She sat up but stayed close to Garrett. "Sure."

His golden eyes moved between the two of them. "In private?"

She sighed, not seeing the point, but he was her brother so she'd do as he asked. She nodded once and got to her feet. Garrett followed.

"She's not going anywhere without a guard."

"It's fine, Garrett. Edward's not a threat."

He stared at Edward as if assessing him which Lily found odd. They'd known each other for decades. She realized everyone's unusual behavior was putting him on edge. She rested her hand on his forearm to get his attention. "We'll be right outside. It will be fine."

"See that you are," he responded though he was clearly talking to Edward.

Lily followed him outside and a short distance away to a clearing she was familiar with.

"Do the kings know?" he asked before she could say anything.

Her brow furrowed. "Know what?"

"That you and Garrett are so close?" There was a bite to his words.

She was almost positive she was getting a headache though that shouldn't be possible. "I am no closer with Garrett than I am with anyone else in my family, yourself included."

"It wasn't my lap your head was laying on."

She clenched her teeth, pressing her tongue against the back of them as she bit back what she wanted to say. Then she decided it wouldn't make a difference anyway. "You said exactly one sentence to me until you came to the studio and said you needed to talk so you can fuck right off. Right now Garrett is the only one treating me remotely normal so yeah, I'm taking what comfort I can from him. And I frankly don't give a shit what you or my mates think about it."

He snorted. "Just make sure you don't take too much comfort from him, little sister. The kings are still your mates after all, even if you did abandon them."

And that's when she punched him. He should have seen it coming. She'd always had a temper. Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten that she was a newborn and had the strength and speed that went with it. She was more than a match for him and part of her wished he'd start a fight with her. She could use the opportunity to relieve some of her anger.

Edward flew backward until he impacted with a tree which shattered with the blow. He snarled and growled as he brushed himself off. Garrett and Sebastian both watched from the trees at the edge of the clearing obviously having heard the noise. "I'm fine." Her voice was quiet, calm, as she watched the cracks heal on her brother's face. Inside, her heart was cracking just a little bit more. "What did you want to talk to me about, Edward?"

He straightened and glared at her. "You need to leave."

"Why?"

"Because you'll bring the Volturi's attention to us. It's dangerous."

She arched a brow and looked him over. Surely, he wasn't serious. "What difference does it make if the Volturi come around? Have you done something you shouldn't? Where's your singer?" It didn't escape her notice that when she asked the question earlier they hadn't answered.

"Brazil."

"Good. Then you have nothing to worry about. So relax." She walked in Garrett's direction. She was done with the conversation whether her brother was or not.

He reached out for her as she passed by and a hand was suddenly gripping his wrist as Sebastian kept him from touching her. All softness left Edward's face as she glanced back at him. "We don't want you here, Lily. Just go."

Garrett was there in an instant standing between her and the other vampire so she could no longer see him, but the damage was already done. They had just opened the door to the studio when Edward called after her. "And don't go after Jasper. Just leave our family out of your drama."

"Fuck you, Eddie,"she called back before disappearing into the welcoming space of her studio.