Covenant (A Lapidot Fanfiction)

Chapter 37: Protected

I woke up that night to Turquoise screeching. I moved my leg to get up, but I felt a warm hand pushing me back against the headboard. Then I heard a scream, too deep to be Turquoise. I could see Peridot looking at the door, which was clearly open. I could just barely see the orange light from Topaz's hair as she stood completely still.

"...what the hell?" I heard Peridot whisper. "...what are you even doing here?"

"The child is crying," Topaz answered.

I tried to move again, only to be pushed back once more.

"No, no," Peridot's gentle voice said. "Stay there. I'll get her for you."

Soon, Turquoise was in my arms, and I was feeding her. Peridot was in front of me, covering me. She was staring at me with gentle eyes, just waiting for me to finish and go back to sleep. Finally, Turquoise finished eating. Peridot carefully took her from me and put her back in her crib. Before she even got back to our bed, my world had gone black again. I was much too tired to stay awake.

I awoke the next morning to Peridot's tight grip around my body. I slowly looked back at her to find that she was awake, just waiting for me. I stared into her eyes for a moment before stretching. Finally, she let go. When I was done stretching, I looked back at her and glared.

"My memory's kinda fuzzy," I said. "But I'm pretty sure you weren't being very nice to Topaz last night."

"I got startled," Peridot replied. "I promise now, for real. I'll try."

"Startled?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She just opens the door and stands there!" Peridot answered. "It's creepy!"

I giggled. "Okay," I said. "That's true, but she's only making sure we're okay. Can you get Turquoise for me?"

"Of course," Peridot answered.

Within a second, Turquoise was in my arms. She looked up at me and just stared at me. She was completely quiet, to my surprise.

"Isn't she hungry?" I asked.

"I think you were too tired this morning," Peridot answered. "You didn't wake up when she started crying. Topaz came in and bottle fed her herself."

"Aw," I said. "That's so sweet." Peridot began to mumble something to herself that I couldn't quite make out. "I guess you didn't like it, though."

"She's way too close to our daughter," Peridot replied.

"When did you lose all possible trust in vampires?" I asked.

"Since I was bitten, since one tried to use you to create a hybrid, since one tried to kill you," Peridot listed, counting the reasons off on her fingers. "Just some minor reasons."

I rolled my eyes. "Not every vampire is out to kill us," I said.

"Sure seems like it," Peridot growled.

"What about Lily?" I asked.

"...okay, maybe not every vampire," Peridot answered.

"And not Topaz either," I said.

"Doesn't mean I'll like her," Peridot replied.

"You don't have to," I said. "As long as you're nice to her."

"I still don't understand how you trust her," Peridot responded.

I shrugged. "I just get the feeling that she's serious this time," I said. I looked down at Turquoise and smiled. "Do you like her, little one?" I asked.