Curled up beside the girl in the warmest embrace she'd ever felt, Petra gazed at those equally warm eyes that peered into her soul, bringing into fruition the best version of herself that the old her would've been repulsed by.
With their gazes locked in that stillness, the woman wondered how life had come at her so fast? Several months ago she was content being someone's paramour, content being there for them whenever they needed her to be. She was used to being brushed away so nonchalantly and now she had her person. It was crazy.
And Beth, as she carefully brushed her thumb across Petra's cheeks, carefully touching her nose studied the adulation she found swirling in the woman's eyes and she too ruminated and reflected. Being there made her feel cosy, like she was wrapped in a thick blanket in the freezing cold. This blanket made her feel safe and secure even when the winds howled its ferocity. It's the only way she could describe the feeling she experienced knowing that the vampire was hers and hers alone.
"What?" She asked on the brink of a soft chuckle as Petra never stopped staring at her the way she did.
"Nothing, I just can't help but bask in the peace that I feel being here with you,"
"Oh stop it," blushed Beth. She tried to get up to hide her embarrassment but the older woman held her still.
"Why do you do that, why do you try to run off or hide each time I say something you never expect to hear?"
"Because you said it, I never expect to hear all those wonderful things. I'm so used to the opposite that when I hear them I don't know how to act,"
Petra shrugged, quietly kissing the girl's forehead.
"You need to get used to them, I love giving my woman praises. I love to see my person smiling and always in a pleasant mood,"
The blonde chuckled. "Great, I'll try not to die from the embarrassment nor a heart attack from your sweetness,"
"I'd revive you," replied Petra and at that point Beth realized she was serious and a whole world of possibilities flashed before her mind.
She was inches away from immortality, she was a lover to a woman people have for years tried to prove existed, she was a lover to a woman people wrote fantasy novels about, romanticized, dressed like on Halloween, feared but she was nothing like they depicted.
The people were wrong. Petra wasn't an inherent monster or incapable of human-like feelings and experiences despite being undead. She was like a beautiful, foreign flower, the only thing about this flower was that it was protected by thorns. Its delicate petals were guarded by spikes within its vines, stems and leaves.
"That's both tempting and frightening," the girl eventually replied to the woman's utterance of her being revived.
"And one day we need to have a conversation about that, the dynamic of our relationship," said Petra. She got up out of bed and her back was to the girl and in that instant, she saw yet again that empty circle in the centre of her back.
"Would this woman, Adira ever lift that spell from you?" The question changed the path of their conversation.
Seconds later, the vampire found her hand touching the spot she knew the seal laid. Its presence was always there because she felt like something was pressing lightly in the depth of her back, and such awareness was the seal doing its job. Reminding her never to go near Colette and her family was its job, however, Beth's question was a valid one.
Would Adira ever lift the seal?
The possibility existed; Adira wasn't an evil witch nor did she gained satisfaction from being wicked to people.
"I'd like to think in her own time she'd lift it,"
"Do you still talk to her though?"
Petra chuckled. "The last time I saw her she destroyed a building that had ceremonial purposes. I along with several others needed to pry her from a friend of mind she was going to kill with her bare hands, but to be direct, no I haven't spoken to her in a bit,"
"Jeez," said Beth, her eyes bulging. "How strong is she?"
"You wouldn't believe if I told you,"
"I'd still like to meet her-" Beth was cut off from expressing her interest when the sound of glass shattering outside the room she and Petra were in came flooding in.
In response to the sudden noise of intrusion, the vampire got up immediately, slipping into her tank top and putting herself between the girl and the door.
"Stay here," she whispered as she carefully reached for the knob.
"Wait, wait!"
"What?" She whispered back at the worried girl who clutched her arm.
Big, round eyes glared up at her and Petra saw just how terrified the girl was. "What if it's a burglar?"
"Then they're going to meet me for the first time and that's not something they should look forward to." Answered the woman so cooly she left Beth wondering if she had any fears or instincts surrounding danger. Nonetheless, she opened the door quietly and the girl decided to follow behind Petra.
Those unbidden footsteps were heard as they stepped loudly on the broken glass in the living room and the women realized that it came from the front door and quickly Petra broke away from the girl.
"Seriously darling, stay here,"
Rounding the corner without so much as being cautious, Petra decided to face the trespasser on her land only to be met with a harsh scream.
Sam clutched his chest tightly when he saw the woman's silhouette and she glared at him in suspicion.
"What the fuck are you doing here? How the fuck did you even get here?" She questioned observing the man as he stood awkwardly in her living room.
"I could explain!" He said putting his hands up quickly. He knew Petra was often a very physical woman, in the past, they'd exchanged fists and he wasn't trying to have his ass handed to him again.
"I'm sorry, okay,"
"How did you find me?" Reiterated the vampire.
At the commotion, Beth came out from around the corner to see in the dim room a man with several piercings about his face glaring at her. For a moment he sniffed the air as she walked in and she thought it was the most peculiar thing she'd ever seen.
"She's a hu-"
Unexpectedly, Isaac came through the front door with the busted glass and when he arrived he was nearly frothing at the mouth from anger.
"You idiot, I told you to wait for me." He frets. "I stepped away to take a piss and you already broke in,"
Folding her arms across her chest, Petra glared at her brother who had an equally annoyed expression on his visage. When he realized she was up and about, he frowned before flashing his gaze to Beth. He too sniffed the air and grimaced.
"For fuck's sake, what is it with you women and fucking humans?" he whispered to himself.
"Hello, Isaac,"
"Good, you're home," said the man completely ignoring his sister as if he and his counterpart didn't just break into her house and respectfully Beth was still confused by the interaction.
"Who are they?" She scooted beside the woman to ask.
"Yes, of course." Petra began, her arms still folded against her chest. "Meet Samuel, a delinquent who also happens to be one of Adira's revenants and then there is Isaac, his buddy, my idiot brother,"
Taken aback by the woman's words, the blonde glared between Isaac and Petra only to realize that they did resemble each other. The only issue with the introduction was that Petra never mentioned she had a brother or maybe she did but she simply forgot thought Beth.
"Your brother?"
"Yes, who I'll be kicking out if he doesn't explain why he and his stupid friend broke into my home in 3....2.."
"We came to find you because you just disappeared,"
"The council were looking for me and might I also add Queen Adira,"
"I know that but you usually let someone know where you run off too," said the woman's brother.
"Well, I didn't feel the need to this time,"
"Who is she, the human?" Whispered Samuel as if Beth couldn't hear him.
"Isn't it obvious?" Isaac arched a brow. He looked the girl up and down before saying, "This is Beth, Colette's ex-girlfriend,"
"Ohhh, this is the Beth." Exaggerated Sam, then a wicked grin was placed on his face.
"Hey," he added flexing his brows at the girl and beside her, Petra rolled her eyes.
"Again, why are the two of you here?"
"Because we came to find you. things are about to get real and you've decided to run off with your lover,"
Frowning at what he said, Beth turned to see that the older woman was just as annoyed.
"I left because I'm tired of everyone pointing fingers at me when clearly i've done nothing my part months ago,"
"Well you did attack Colette...twice," shrugged the revenant with the piercing.
"And don't you forget that the reason she and I even came into contact with one another in the first place was because you incompetent fools used your abilities and she saw,"
"Is that what happened?" Questioned Beth.
She never really knew how the whole thing happened. She'd asked so many questions in the past but never how her ex came to learn of the supernatural.
"Yes. See these two were tasked with disposing of some, let's call them potential threats and instead of doing just that and making sure the coast was clear, they did a sloppy job. And there at the river, that night was Colette, her two friends off in the distance fucking the shit out of each other,"
"Isaac here slaughtered them and that's how Queen Adira was able to bring them back as a part of her horde of revenants." Continued Petra.
"We weren't sloppy, Colette was just good at hiding," defended Sam.
"It doesn't matter,"
"Adira has declared war on the vampires and all those who supports or enables them," Isaac said as he closed his eyes.
He was tired of the small talk, tired of the absentminded catching up when the real reason he and Sam broke away from Isabella was to warn his sister so she wouldn't do something stupid.
"What?"
"Yeah, she did all this last night because they got Mclean," said Sam and Petra knew exactly what they got Mclean meant.
"We came to get you so you'd stay out of trouble. I came to get you,"
Still digesting what her brother said, Petra frowned.
"You came here to make sure I didn't do something stupid,"
"Yeah like choosing the wrong side in this entire mess," answered Isaac.
"I'm a vampire,"
"And Adira is your queen," he retorted. "She raised us, she raised you whether you want to admit it or not, she made you what you are now. I know you don't talk about it but everything you have is because of her, all the money you have is because of her. Despite the relationship you've had with her in the past she always made sure that you were taken care of,"
The vampire rolled her eyes.
"You disrespected her countless times and the most she's done is shun you, the rest of us don't have that luxury, Petra and I came here to remind you of that,"
"So what are you insinuating, Isaac?" The woman felt vulnerable, confused suddenly. "That I should put aside the fact that I'm a vampire and take up her side? My kind would shun me forever,"
"And which one would hurt more, them cutting you off from your little friend group or the only person who's ever truly loved us?"
Silence filled the vicinity as the people observed each other, but truly Sam and Beth's attention was on the siblings.
"C'mon Petra, I know you're not as stubborn as you pretend to be,"
"Maybe, you've just never seen it,"
"You'd be an idiot to fight against her majesty,"
"And you're a fool to even think I'd show my face in this mess,"
"Being passive is another way of saying you didn't choose her side,"
"I don't care," answered the woman and for the first time in forever she saw hurt in her brother's eyes and she'd only ever seen it once.
Conviction struck and immediately Petra clenched her jaw shut.
"C'mon Sam let's go," the man eventually said to his friend and Samuel countered, "Told you, man, it would be a waste of time to come here,"
"Yeah, well at least we tried,"
The two men exited the way they came leaving the mess, Petra and Beth there in the house.