Guiding Light (GxGxG)

15. Mother, Mother

"Why do you think Deity left dinner so abruptly tonight?" I asked Rhea, my voice soft in the quiet of the night. We were snuggled in bed together and the coolness of her skin felt like a balm to my soul. 

She sighed softly against my neck, making me shiver slightly in her arms. Then she said in a tone as low as my own. "I'm not very close to Deity, so I am unsure why she does anything. But, if I were to guess, I would say she's probably working through a lot of emotional turmoil."

"From me being here? Because it seems as if she has a problem with me."

"She is thrilled that you are here. It's just a  bit shocking to everyone, even more so to her." 

"Why is it so shocking to her?"

"Again, I can't say." 

I sighed and found the hand she had draped around my waist to lace our fingers together. I brought it up to my lips to kiss before speaking again. "Do vampires drink the blood of demons?"

"Yes. It's their favourite meal, actually."

"WHAT!" I flipped to face her, half sitting up as I did. My heart was drumming uncontrollably in my chest, the fear cementing in my mind that Deity would, at the most opportune moment, drink me dry like a cup of warm coffee from Starbucks. "Rhea—"

"Fret not," she said, pulling me back down. I lay facing her, feeling her hands cup my face. "Deity has no interest in feeding off you."

"But how would you know? After all, you and her are not that close." 

"If I know nothing else, I know that much." Her thumb caressed my cheek slowly and I enjoyed the feeling, allowing my eyes to close. "I love you too, by the way," she confessed. 

My eyes opened again to see her staring back at me with a gentle expression. A sudden rush of emotion overwhelmed me, making my heart full, but it disappeared again as I was reminded of Amy. I harboured the same feelings for her and could no longer tell her. I could no longer tell her anything at all and that made me beyond sad.

Rhea leaned in until our faces were barely touching, the despair lingering between us. "We will get her back." She promised. "Okay, Princess?"

I nodded, believing her words. I had no choice but to because I would not accept Amy dying and it being my fault. 

I will not. 

With that, Rhea pressed her lips firmly to mine, as if to kiss all my worries away and it worked as much as it could. I smiled and returned her kiss. It was soft and slow, a sharing of our pain and hope that soothed me in the strangest of ways. When we broke apart again, we were breathing heavily, each breath sounding criminally loud around us and raking against the other's skin.

I laid my head on her chest and felt her arms snake around my body to hold me tightly to her. At the gentle touch of her lips against my forehead, I fell instantly asleep.

As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, we were forced out of bed again. I felt like the new kid on the first day of school. Not knowing where to go, what to do or how to do it. Rhea was there with me every step of the way, helping me get prepared, but I felt like I was holding her back more than anything else. Despite my many protests, she refuses to abandon me, claiming she wasn't being held back, just unmethodically paced.

"It is the same thing," I argued while she helped me with my armour.

She smiled, shook her head, and gave me a kiss on the lips before pulling back to stare lovingly into my eyes. "It is a change of pace, but it is nice. I do not mind it so do not worry about it. I will not leave you when you need me the most."