The Revenant Queen 2 (wlw)

Chapter Sixty- Two

Arms folded across her chest, her tall figure facing the expectant faces, Adira studied the people who inevitably showed up to the only property of hers in the area that did not get robbed since the start of the unrest and with good reasoning. It was remote, a few hours away from the manor and big enough to house those that needed a roof over their head. Along with it having adequate space for each of them, following her there meant they were protected and she didn't blame any of them if they followed her for safety. In addition to that, this was also the house Colette was attacked in months ago and since the incident, that was the first time she and the girl set foot there. Even Petra was there too and the memories of her horrible attack on the girl did leave her convicted, but she was good at hiding negative emotions, good at acting oblivious too. Nonetheless, the queen was happy something still stood that she could call home.

She regarded the people who showed up later that night to hear orders or even listen to her share her encounter with death and what wise words she could bestow upon them.

"Well," Christa, Colette's mother observed the woman she learned recently was her daughter's lover. She couldn't say she was ecstatic at the notion of her child being with a woman who looked a decade older when in reality she was centuries old, and a woman with questionable abilities too. Was she a witch? Necromancer? A God? The Devil? Did she possess her daughter during the time she had her to herself? The woman truly didn't know.

"You died," Christa pointed out the obvious. "Yet here you are standing in front of us, whole, breathing, quiet,"

"I'm sure your daughter had filled you in on some of the details," said Adira, now pacing in front of the people.

"Oh, she has. You kidnapped her, kept her in your home, forced her to avoid contact with her family after relocating her from her apartment. She died because you got her in trouble with this woman," she pointed to Petra who was in a corner with Beth at her side.

The vampire wasn't fearful of Christa but it did convict her yet again when she was reminded of her past in this gathering of people. She was a changed woman now, one who avoided human blood but used animal blood to sustain herself, one who chose pacifism and love rather than violence, hatred and carnage.

"She became this thing that controls water because she saw someone who bound her to a spirit called the Avalon, which was formerly bound to someone from her father's side of the family. Colette told me about your subjects, your revenants and how you resurrected them from the dead. Your mother is some divine being, basically a fallen angel, you worked with the devil because you are part fallen angel yourself, yeah I know it all."

Adira's jaw worked vigorously as she kept her rapt eyes to Christa. The woman made it seem like she willfully took Colette those months ago or it was all her fault: the girl dying, her being part multum, etc. What she did was for both the girl and her and her revenant's good, everything she did up until she died for her everyone she knew.

"You make it sound worse than it is, Mrs Rivers?"

"It's Miss Daley, I am divorced,"

"Right, I stand corrected,"

"I'm curious as to what you have to say about everything, especially your return from the dead. It's not the wildest thing I've seen, because quite frankly I've seen my youngest murder an ugly thing with wings, but you waking up from your death is frightening,"

"I understand, I can imagine your fear about the situation, about me and I'm here to tell all of you that it was the work of Isabella, my mother. She was the one who came to me in death and made me an offer rather than a deal, thus why I am here,"

The occupants regarded Adira, some in disbelief, others in abject curiosity and intrigue.

"To those who are familiar with my mother, that was an unusual thing, so out of character. I was just as taken aback when I first saw her. I didn't believe that she was there to help but verbally accost me, torment me, but that is true, miss Daley,"