Bitter Revenge

Chapter 31

I sat with this adorably short girl who was a wonder to talk with. It's so rare that I meet someone shorter than me, but I guess in this case it's like being taller than your grandma. She's at least 200 years older than me. She's a Royal Chef here at the Winteress, and her wife is head of security. I find their differences cute. Allison is a walking cupcake with pink and bright colors, wavy, long, dirty blonde hair, about 5 feet tall, and royal blue eyes. And her wife, Talia, is a 5'10" beast with muscular, caramel brown skin, shoulder length, burnt oak hair, piercing red eyes, and a septum piercing to top it all off.

"Your mate is a red-head witch with round glasses and green eyes right?" I'm embarrassed to admit that Allison had been letting me talk her ear off about Stella, so when she got her description down to the t, I didn't question it too much. "Yeah, why?" Allison giggled as Scarlet passed her a naked cake that soon would be covered in all types of frosting. "You'll see." Speaking of cake, we were all baking Queen Valerie a cake since she was off talking with the Highest Court at the moment. Footsteps invaded my hearing and General Alexander, the guy who helped save me, walked into the kitchen. "A horde of witches have been spotted in the Colden Front Forest. Stay on guard until I come back and say it's safe."

Before I could ask, he was gone. I turned to Allison with wide eyes, a little afraid that Stella would be in that group. "If she's out there, I need to go get her." Both Allison and Scarlet said no! at the same time, making me pout. "Didn't you hear? The entire Royal Coven military must be out there looking for you. I don't know how they know you're here, but you need to hide until the perimeter is safe." Allison scolded me, reminding me a bit of a parent. I groaned and sat at the dishwasher, which just so happened to be in front of the window which just so happened to showcase the whole front yard. I wonder if she's really out there, I hope she is, I want to see her again.

Darkness reached up into the sky, catching my attention. Smoke. I turned back to Scarlet and made a whiny noise, seriously worried about my mate. I had a bad feeling in my gut. "Fiona. Stay. I know you want to find her, but you're more at risk than she is." I groaned and muttered, "Hidoi..." Which is Japanese for "mean." Which Scarlet understood from how many times I'd cuss her out in Japanese. "Call me whatever you want. Just, stay." I moved my feet up to the dishwasher I was sitting on and tucked them close as I watched out for a certain red-head.

After 5 minutes I decided I was going to go out there and check on her myself, until General Alexander teleported in front of me and damn near gave me a heart attack. He looked down at me and sighed, which is the first time he has shown any form of... anything ever. "Your mate is a bit stuck at the time. On top of the fact that her High Priestess won't allow her to leave her sights, she also doesn't trust Talia. I will bring you with me, but please be careful. These witches did not come in peace." His voice is always so serious, I wonder if he's always like that. I nodded and when he opened his portal thing beneath our feet, I was sucked into it as well. There was no matrix or strange visions, it was like falling right onto the snowy forest ground.

I looked around and saw enough witches to take over a country, especially with the scowl their leader was giving me. "There she is!" She growled at me and launched ice shards at me, making me quickly dodge. The volume of the heart beats here were making my head pound, everyone is so tense. But one in particular caught my attention. I turned to see Talia on guard and fiery hair standing next to her. I smiled wide and almost ran after her, but decided that maybe just walking towards her would be more appropriate. But the second she saw me going in her direction, she squealed and ran to me with open arms. Her warmth wrapped around me, but unlike any other heat that made me uncomfortable, hers felt safe and familiar. I reached up and locked my fingers on her lower back, letting my wrists rest on her hips. "Hey Strawberry, I hope you haven't missed me too much."

She chuckled and squeezed me a bit, holding me tighter. The action made me place my palms on her back, holding her closer as well. "I wouldn't say I've missed you all that much, Freckles. I'm just glad to see you without those burns and bruises." I heard a throat clear next to us and we pulled apart to look at Talia, who gave me a knowing smile. "We should head back to the Winteress. We will need your mate present for your case, she could be useful." I hadn't noticed but the entire time me and Stella were hugging, Auntie Dearest was fighting General Alexander to make it to Stella. So I did the mature thing. I blew her a kiss and a wink while she was catching her breath, "Don't worry, I'll take care of your niece." I could hear her screech of frustration as me and Stella walked off.

We walked into the mansion side by side, and coincidentally at that same moment, Queen Valerie had been teleported back from the Highest Court. I guess one of the vampires on the court has teleportation as their gift, or maybe it was a witch? She turned to look at us and gave Stella a look. "A witch. What in the world have I missed?" I bowed my head before responding, paying respects to my Queen before answering. "Queen Valerie, this is my unrequited mate, Stella King. Stella, this is Queen Valerie of the vampires." Stella smiled at her and bowed her head, even bent her knees a bit which surprised Queen Valerie quite a lot. "Oh I see. She's your responsibility Fiona. She better not make a mess." I chuckled and nodded my head, leading us to the library where there was a cozy fireplace to warm Stella up. I never realized how bland my life felt without my Strawberry to sweeten my mood.