Bitter Revenge

Chapter 20

I wanted to spill my guts, because by then I was tired. I'm so tired. Of my secrets, my silence, my holding back. It's tiring. But there's too much vulnerability, and that exposes me. It scares me. But seeing Stella like this, worried and stressed and panicked. I said more than I should have. She stared blankly at me, like I'd stuck gum in her brain gears so they'd stop working. Her jaw slowly dropped as the realization finally started sinking in. "Mate?" She choked out, and I quickly grew insecure. I nodded slowly, until she suddenly jumped out of bed and looked back at me in a panic. "Wait- mate?! Wait, are you serious?! Are we talking about what I think we're talking about?!" I sighed and rose from the bed to walk towards her, but every step I took closer she stepped back.

"Yes, mate. As in Fate made us to be together. That's why I haven't left. I wanted to learn more about you, and help however I can." She couldn't seem to swallow this information and shook her head. "That's impossible. I'm not gay! And homosexuality is forbidden in the Royal Coven! Why would Fate pair you with me?!" I shrugged, because really, what was I supposed to say? I don't know why we were paired together, that's just how it is. She visibly grinded her teeth, then straightened out. "What about my other questions? Matehood is irrelevant right now."

I sighed deeply but nodded my head. I did say I wanted to help. "The answer to your first question is you're wrong. I don't kill innocent people. I kill people that have lost their humanity and have become rotten corpses that just so happen to walk and talk. I don't kill people, I kill monsters. Now, your second question, I don't know. I'm obviously biased and I don't think I'm a bad person. But some would argue I am. It's too much of a subjective answer for me to tell you. I suppose it's up to you whether you see me as good or bad." I swallowed the lump in my throat and fiddled with my fingers, pushing against the tips of my fingers as a nervous habit.

I could see the conflict in her eyes, clearly she wants to believe me, but I think a part of her is trying to reason that she has no reason to trust what I say. She opened and closed her mouth a couple times, before words finally came out. "So what, you're like Batman?" I'm sorry, but I suddenly burst out laughing. She did not just compare me to a hero that could also easily pass as a villain. I started actually crying from how funny and unexpected that was. A pout was slowly forming on her face and I literally took a knee from the force of my laughter. "It wasn't that funny." She grumbled, clearly a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry... Ok, Ok. I'm done. Batman? Uh... no? Sure? I don't know, it's not like I kill them with the intent of saving others, I do it because I'm hungry or angry but not so frantic that I'll kill an innocent person." She sat down at the foot of her bed, then buried her face in her hands. Back to gloomy I guess. "Listen, I could always leave you know? Like, go back to Devil's Corner and you never have to see me again. If I stress you out so much, I'll just-" I tried recommending my leave and she just looked at me, sharply. Her emerald green eyes swirling with a bit of blue and pink. It was the first time I'd ever seen her eyes change color like that, it was pretty hypnotizing.

"You leaving would do more harm than good. I need to turn you in, time is running out. But if I do that, they'll kill you." I sat down next to her and looked out into space, processing the information given. For once, I wasn't tense and ready to kill like I always am, I hunched my back to be comfortable and looked at my socks. "I imagined so. They've been on my ass for years. If that's the case, why haven't you turned me in? Why keep me around?" There was a long moment of silence, such a heavy tension that I couldn't force my head to look at her.

"Because I wanted to determine for myself if you were truly evil enough to be killed. I hate the idea of killing the innocent, the Royal Coven has done it multiple times before and I can't stand it. So, I'm taking it upon myself to make the decision." I could see from the corner of my eye her head turned to look at me. "But that was probably a mistake. I was biased from the beginning that you were evil. I was convinced that you would be evil and that I would have no problem turning you in..." I met her eyes with my own, trying to guess her reasoning. After a tense silence, I grew too curious. "What changed your mind?" She blinked at me, almost as if she was seeing through me. I felt like I might've crossed a boundary I shouldn't have with that question, until she opened her mouth to speak again. "I saw your humanity."

I felt such emotion strike my heart I could've fallen over. My humanity... I thought I'd lost that a long time ago. I wholeheartedly believed that when I became a vampire, I lost my humanity- especially when I started killing to survive. My thoughts were interrupted by a still, pretty voice again. "I saw you smile, and laugh, and cook, and worry. I also saw you get angry, and flustered... and cry." That last one struck a chord with me. I looked at her strangely, thinking back to every time I've cried while here. Only 2 times. "It was very early on. Back when you were still chained downstairs. I woke up in the middle of the night and went to check on you. You were asleep and muttering to yourself. I saw a tear run down your cheek and you muttered a name."

A sudden tightness filled my chest at the thought of her hearing my little sister's name. I sighed a little as I saw that she wasn't pitiful towards me, or empathetic. She was just calm and detached. For once I was the more emotional one in the room. She bit her lip as her eyebrows scrunched in curiosity, don't. Please don't ask. "Who-" BANG!