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Chapter 50:
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A couple days later and it was officially only a week till Christmas.
Carmen had been busy around the house and outside as well and soon the entire mansion was festooned with decorations, wreaths and tinsel and twinkle lights. In the snowcovered courtyard a group of plastic reindeer stood about the porch. The columns of the portico were wound with multicoloured lights like an electric vine. On the roof was a plastic sleigh and a big red Santa Claus headed for the chimney with a sack over his shoulder. Carmen had done most of it herself, only accepting little bits of help here and there so as not to be rude. She took a lot of pride in her homemaking duties and when she was done she called us outside in the middle of the night to witness the power being turned on. We stood there in the snowy gravel, Bella and I with arms around each other, the others huddled in a loose group, and smiled up at the house as Carmen connected the final cable. The front of the mansion was suddenly lit up, the reindeer illuminated, the porch radiant, the roof ablaze with rows upon rows of twinkle lights, and we all made an appreciative sound of awe with the blue and red and green lights awash over our faces.
The inside was just as charming. Two christmas trees full of lights were arranged by each of the staircases and every spindle on the staircases was wound with tinsel. Holly was woven around four marble pillars and each strand was connected to the crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling where they hung like vines in a christmas jungle. Sidetables were festooned with small things, snowglobes, little mangers, dioramas of ancient Bethlehem. The frames of oilpaintings were lined with tinsel. Wreaths with huge red bows hung everywhere. The entire mansion smelled of pine and cinnamon that Carmen had been spraying into the air.
Carmen had been saying that usually they had a quiet Christmas but this year there was an extra air of festivity. New members to the coven, a feast planned, a year of firsts and new things. Bella and I were ecstatic as well. Not only would it be our first Christmas in a coven but it was our first Christmas together. Not just us, either. Irena would be sharing her first Christmas with someone special as well. Claire. Her mate, perhaps, even if she was a little embarrassed to admit it. Kate would be staying for the holidays too and bringing Leah. It was going to be a full house and Carmen was more than pleased to have another human to cook for. She was planning a full turkey dinner for Leah alone. She still mourned the loss of her pixies, who would've made fantastic elves, but she was excited for a new year, new girls, and of course the most important thing to her was family.
Tanya was the only one who remained mostly untouched by holiday spirit. She smiled in all the correct places and did her best not to draw attention to herself but it was impossible not to notice. Perhaps it was understandable. The rest of us all had mates to share the holidays with. Me with Bella. Irena with Claire. Kate with Leah. When it came time to unwrap the presents we would all be cuddled up with women with whom we wanted to spend the rest of our lives while Tanya would be alone. No mate. Not even hope for a mate. All she had was a vague sense of loss and the knowledge deep in her heart that she was going to be alone forever.
The last room to be decorated was Tanya's parlour. Where the primary christmas tree would be held, the one where we'd put all the presents. Carmen had worked all morning, nailing stockings to the mantle, hanging holly, covering Tanya's grand piano in tinsel and joking how Tanya should play some carols for us. Finally all that was left was the tree.
It was a fake tree and the boughs and plastic pine needles were pure white. Carmen had arranged it in the corner, beside the crackling fireplace. She had preferred to do everything herself so far but for this part she was more than happy to accept help. Tree trimming was a family activity, she claimed.
She had already set out boxes of baubles and other decorations and soon Bella was hanging little ornaments on the tree while Carmen set about winding the tree in red and green tinsel. Carmen was in a nice housedress but Bella was naked as Bella usually preferred to be. I was in a nice dress as well and I mostly just helped by handing Bella decorations and suggesting places to put them. I wanted her to have most of the fun. Tanya was at her piano, playing carols as requested, and even Irena and Claire were present. Irena was sitting on a sofa with her legs folded, merely watching, and she was naked aside from a pair of shoes. Claire was sitting on the floor and she was naked as well. All she wore was a collar and a pair of reindeer antlers on her head like how you might adorn the family dog. She also wore a bright red nose on her face and the metaphor was rather fitting. Rudolph had been the most special of the reindeer and Claire was the most special of the victims.
Bella was standing on tiptoes to reach a high place on the tree and I smiled at her ass as she did so. So white and round. So beautiful. She finally managed to hang the bauble and then she rocked back on her heels and giggled and turned around with a grin.
"I always hated Christmas," she said.
I laughed and handed her another large shiny silver bauble. "I used to as well. But now that we have ourselves to share it with, and our wonderful new coven, I think it'll soon become our favorite time of the year."
Carmen smiled in agreement and continued arranging the tinsel around the tree. Claire glanced back at Irena, sitting there on the floor with the antlers on her head and her big red nose. I noticed the look between them and smiled but then my smile faded when I glanced toward Tanya. She had her back to the room, sitting at the piano, and she was playing Silent Night, slowly, sombrely.
I turned back and smiled again.
"What I'm most excited for is the feast," I said, not allowing my spirits to dampen. "Do you think you'll be able to control that hunger of yours till then, my love?"
Bella giggled and turned to me and put her arms around my neck.
"I'll be fine," she said. "But more importantly, it's our first Christmas together. Can you believe we lasted this long? When we first met I thought I was as good as dead. I was waiting for you to kill me every day."
I chuckled and cupped her face. "So was I."
Carmen gave us a smile as we shared our romantic moment there by the half-trimmed tree. Claire was watching as well, sitting on the rug with her legs tucked under her, unaccountably cute with her antlers and bobbed brown hair and big brown eyes. She seemed very interested in our conversation as if she were familiar with similar feelings.
Bella sighed and gazed into my eyes.
"I still miss those days," she said. "It was so exhilarating being owned by you so completely. So utterly at your mercy. Every inch of my body at your disposal. You used to be so strong and beautiful. So incredible."
I arched a brow at her use of past tense. "Used to be?" I repeated. "I'm the same woman I always was, my love. It's just that you became stronger."
She smiled at that and leaned upward and pressed a kiss onto my mouth.
I was still cupping her face and now I pulled her toward me and deepened the kiss, showing her that she still belonged to me, that she was still mine. My eyes were closed and dimly I realized the piano had stopped playing. Tanya would've heard everything but I forced myself not to feel guilty. Bella was my mate. I shouldn't ever have to feel bad about loving her.
Carmen allowed the kiss for a few moments but then we started moaning and tonguing and finally she clapped her hands at us to break it up.
"Okay, that's enough," she said. "We have a tree to decorate, if you didn't notice."
Bella sighed and separated with a smile. I glanced at Tanya briefly and Tanya resumed playing, slowly, calmly, still with her back to the room.
Carmen spied Irena lounging on the couch and decided to put her to work too. "You too, Irena. Don't just sit there. We're supposed to be a family."
Irena sighed and uncrossed her legs to stand and Claire turned to her automatically and smiled and lifted her face as if to request a kiss. Irena smirked at her and leaned and placed a peck on her lips, rising as she did so, and then came over to the tree and began to hang decorations with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
The four of us together soon had the tree resplendent with shiny baubles, gold and silver, and red velvet bows and sprigs of holly and tinsel of every christmas color, green, red, a bit of silver. Carmen gave directions, pointing at places on the tree where there simply needed to be a decoration, and one of us would instantly carry out the order, usually Bella, reaching to the high places with her naked body or bobbing down to a lower place.
Tanya continued to play carols, accepting requests from Carmen, and Claire watched everything from the floor, smiling, her big brown eyes roaming in open admiration over Irena's body. Irena tried to ignore those eyes but she kept glancing back and smiling involuntarily. She was falling hard and her pride struggled to admit it. Their relationship had occurred mostly behind closed door but you could see in the sparkles of their eyes how it had developed. At first they had only accepted their dynamic as captive and captor and then they had begun to enjoy it and now they were at the point of accepting it all over again in a much deeper, more permanent, way.
Soon the tree was almost done. All that remained was the angel that would go on top. Carmen had it in her hands but she was busy smiling at how beautiful the tree was. It was very tall and very large and the white limbs of it were completely festooned with decorations and lights. Tanya was still playing the piano and Carmen finally now seemed to notice that Tanya hadn't glanced back once at the tree.
"Tanya, come look at the tree," she called. "We're almost done, isn't it beautiful?"
Tanya stopped playing and rose and came over with a smile. I had my arm around Bella, pulling her closer, but Tanya mostly only looked at the tree. She let her eyes sweep over the decorations politely and then she smiled.
"Well done, Carmen," she said.
Carmen smiled and nodded but you could see the flicker of concern in her eyes for her old friend's low spirits. Not many of her family's problems went unnoticed by Carmen. She still had the angel in her hands and now she tried to brighten up.
"Here," she said, offering it to Tanya. "As the head of the household, it should be you who puts the angel on top of the tree."
Tanya took the angel, still smiling in her serene way, and then she handed it to Bella. "You do it, Bella."
Bella was surprised. "Me?"
Tanya nodded, smiling more genuinely. "As the newest member of the coven, I feel it should be you."
Bella grinned, flattered, and shrugged out from under my arm. There was a step ladder beside the tree and she climbed the first few steps, naked, dainty, and set the angel on the tip of the tree.
Carmen was beaming as she did so and now she gave a playful round of applause. Tanya and I clapped as well, glancing at each other, and Bella hopped down from the ladder.
Later that night the lights were lit and the tree glowed in the corner like an alien holothurian there in the dark of the parlour. Beneath the tree was a small cluster of presents. Carmen was the only one who had already done her shopping. Bella and I would go tomorrow. The family had spent most of the day in here, just relaxing and having fun, until eventually there was only Irena and Claire along with Bella and I. Carmen had left to make dinner for Leanna and Tanya had wandered away so she wouldn't be awkward among the pair of couples.
The fireplace was lit, mostly for the ambiance and to keep the human warm. Claire. There was a small bowl of eggnog on the floor that she had been feeding from like a kitten. Carmen had also given her a few cookies. She had become a house favorite, precious Claire, and she was glad to be so.
At first we were only discussing vague christmas topics but eventually a light fourway ensued. Claire was still naked aside from her collar and antlers, although she had taken off her glowing red nose for better kissing ability. I was naked as well by now, my dress and panties in a pile on the floor. The four us shared similar relationships. Bella and I had begun much like Claire and Irena and there was a strange affinity between us. Claire wasn't bold enough to speak very much but Bella played with her and bantered with her and gave her little winks and kisses. Two willing slaves to two unique mistresses. While the girls played with each other on the rug before the fire I turned to the blonde woman beside me on the sofa and wrapped my arms around her. The girls watched us, smiling, rubbing each other between their legs, eyes sparkling in the orange firelight. Irena and I gave them something of a show, allowing them to witness the full majesty of their mistresses, stroking each other's breasts, moaning, licking each other luxuriously. The girls eventually orgasmed and Irena and I did too and then the girls crawled over and settled at our feet like pets to lick between our legs.
It was almost midnight by now and Claire was getting a little tired. Bella teased her about it, remembering her own human days, and then she began to make love to Claire on the rug by the sofa. Spreading Claire on her back. Making sure she wasn't laying on the chain of her leash. Her antlers were gone by now and she wore nothing but a blush and a smile. Bella licked her to an orgasm, her fourth that night, and Irena and I watched from the sofa. I was observing Irena's expression and it was clear to me that Irena was in love and becoming closer and closer to admitting it.
Bella was still licking between Claire's legs, enjoying the human warmth there, and Claire continued to lay there and smile. Bella kissed at her clit and licked it and continued lapping at the moisture.
"Mmm," she murmured, still licking. "I really like you, Claire."
An exhausted giggle came out of Claire. "Thank you."
Bella gave her one last lick, long and hard, and then she rose up. Claire moved into a sitting position too, her brown hair mussed, her plain face more beautiful than ever with the flush spread over it. Bella smiled at her and cupped her face in the firelight.
"Irena really likes you too," she said.
Claire went shy. She glanced at Irena. Irena went shy as well. It was adorable and I had to giggle. Claire turned back to Bella and Bella smiled.
"I'm sure by now you've realized that none of us here actually wants to kill you, right?" she asked.
A bit of seriousness came into Claire's large brown eyes. "Is that true?"
"It's very true," Bella said. "We all adore you. Irena in particular, don't you Irena?"
Irena again glanced away bashfully, as if she couldn't help it. Claire grinned at that, a hint of womanish pride about her. Bella turned Claire's face back to hers.
"Problem is, it's a little awkward," she said.
Claire was confused. "What do you mean?"
Bella gave a small shrug, smirking, watching Claire's eyes. "Well, how do we know we can trust you? How do we know this isn't just an act so you can escape?"
"It's not."
"But how do we know?"
"Because I love Irena."
Everyone in the room went silent. The fire crackled. The declaration hung in the air. Claire turned and looked at Irena, smiling at her, and then turned back to Bella.
"I was listening to you while you were trimming the tree," she said. "About how it feels to be owned. About how exhilarating it can be. So I think you know how I feel. You felt the same way about Victoria."
Bella regarded her, smiling, watching for truth in her eyes. Claire let her see everything and then she turned to Irena and crawled over on her hands and knees. Irena had her legs crossed and now they unfolded as if they had weakened at Claire's approach.
Claire stopped and knelt there submissively. She smiled up at Irena.
"I've never been brave enough to say it, but I'm saying it now," she said. "I love you, Irena. I love everything about you. You own me. I belong to you. I don't care what you do to me. You can kill me if you like. I'd even cooperate and do anything you want me to. But more than that, I'm praying you'll keep me."
The outpouring of emotion had caused her eyes to fill with tears. Now she giggled them away and looked down and looked up again.
"It's my Christmas wish," she admitted cutely.
Irena's mouth was open. She seemed stunned and touched, which weren't things she was used to feeling, and slightly afraid as well. Perhaps no woman had ever had this kind of power over her emotions before. This woman who she had kept chained in a cellar. This woman who she had raped and tortured. This woman who had somehow endeared herself into her iron heart with nothing more than big brown eyes and an adequate body.
Bella was watching all this, grinning, and now she came behind Claire and reached for the collar. Claire didn't know what she was doing but then the leash came loose. Bella wrapped it into a bundle and tossed it aside with a smile.
"I don't think you'll be needing a leash anymore," she said. "Welcome to the coven, Claire."
Claire gasped in excitement and spun back to Irena.
A smile of pure joy had spread over Irena's mouth, perhaps the first of its kind to grace those lips, and now she pulled Claire into her lap. Claire came up willingly, no longer consigned to the floor, and wrapped her arms around Irena. Irena cupped her face, gazing at her in the firelight, and then she kissed her.
I smiled at them and turned the smile to Bella. She came over and sat in my lap and settled in my arms. Together we watched Irena and Claire for a moment, witnessing their first kiss as a true couple, recalling those early days of our own relationship when we experienced a similar revelation of the heart. Bella turned to me, smiling, and then she covered my mouth with her own.
The next day Bella and I went christmas shopping.
It would be Bella's first time in public since becoming a vampire and the coven was naturally quite worried. Carmen tried to talk us out of it, offering to do our shopping for us, but I told her not to worry. Bella had been demonstrating sublime control with many of her victims and she had been perfectly fine with Leah and Claire. Carmen nodded but she still seemed concerned. Tanya was less worried. She smiled at us and kissed us each on the cheek. She had provided us with creditcards and told us not to worry about expenses.
We set out in the morning, taking our old red sports car, and began roaming the mall. Carols were playing from the speakers overhead and it was snowing outside. The mall was packed with people hurrying about their christmas shopping, women, teenagers, mothers with children. I kept glancing at Bella but Bella seemed to be doing fine, just as I expected she would. Her eyes had gone black and she was moving in a vague air of distraction as the temptation of general slaughter teased at her brain but she didn't seem to be any danger of slipping. She had been forced to wear clothes today. At first she had been annoyed but after putting them on, a pair of designer jeans with a thong underneath, a bra, a tight black top, she began to enjoy the feel of fabric clinging to her body. I was glad to see her love of fashion rekindling because it really would've been awkward if she wanted to spend the rest of her existence naked.
We had made a list of gift ideas back at the mansion and soon we had the trunk of the car and the backseat completely full with boxes and bags. Cookware for Carmen, boxes of chocolates for Claire. Clothes. Dresses. Some jewellery. Anything that had caught our eye that one of our coven mates might like.
Eventually it was afternoon and we had everyone covered but Tanya. Bella wanted to get her something special, to thank her for everything. I was somewhat conflicted. It sounded like a nice idea but part of me felt that maybe it was best to put a little distance between Tanya and ourselves. Tanya needed time for her feelings to settle and to perhaps meet someone else. Buying her a special gift might send the wrong message. I communicated this to Bella and Bella did seem to understand even if she still wanted to get Tanya something extra.
So we made one last foray into the mall, browsing different stores and shops, chatting together about what Tanya might like. Unfortunately most of Tanya's interests were a little more sophisticated than what you might find at the mall. Bella was thinking maybe we should go home and special order her some opera tickets or something when I suggested perhaps we could get her some nice lingerie. Something she could wear that we could seduce her in. It seemed to fit the requirements. It would be something special that we wouldn't be getting any of the others and it would allow us to demonstrate with more than gifts how much we really appreciated her. Bella liked the idea, nodding, and we headed for the lingerie boutique.
The front of the store had a broad pink sign over the entrance that said Love Honey and the mannequins in the windows were clad in lace as if they had been having sex when no one was looking. The inside smelled like perfume. There were a couple sales girls, young and attractive in white blouses and black pants, and there were a few other women browsing. One of the women caught Bella's eye. A woman in a black business suit, her dark hair in a bun, peering at the lace articles though a pair of elegant rimless glasses. She had huge tits. You could see her cleavage as she turned. I smiled at the hunger in mate's dark eyes and told her not to even think about it. Bella pouted but she nodded and turned away from the woman.
Soon we were browsing ourselves, examining little scraps of lace that hung from the racks, bras and panties, corsets, babydolls, all kinds and colors. Tanya seemed to prefer white lingerie to all else and we focused our search mostly on white garments and set out composing a perfect set, taking our time. The businesswoman with her hair in a bun went by at one point, even smiling at Bella, and Bella's dark eyes lingered after for a long time. I was watching her intently and she laughed at my expression when she turned back to me.
"Jeez, relax, Vicky," she said. "I'm not gonna snap and massacre the entire mall, alright?"
I smiled guiltily. "I know, baby. I'm just keeping an eye on you."
Bella shook her head with a smile and took something off the rack. It was a white lace corset, open cupped so that the breasts of the wearer would be revealed. She held it to her own body and looked down.
"What do you think of this for Tanya?" she asked. "Think she'll like it?"
I nodded, impressed. "I think it would look amazing on her."
Bella sighed and looked at the corset and then she put it back in the rack. "Lingerie is so obvious, though," she said. "There's gotta be something more personal we can get her. An antique piano or something, maybe?"
I admired her desire to do something sweet for a friend but I smiled and shook my head. "Let's just keep it simple, baby," I said. "And relatively cheap. After all, it's her own money we're spending."
"Yeah," Bella said, laughing. "One of us really needs to get a job so we can stop freeloading."
I laughed as well, perusing the racks of lace. "Well, we do have a bag of cash laying around somewhere. We're not entirely paupers."
Bella paused to examine another corset. As she did the businesswoman went passed again, her back to us. Bella looked at the seat of her tight black skirt, admiring the shape of her ass with hungry eyes, and then noticed I was watching her again.
She smirked and shrugged innocently. "What?"
I smirked as well and looked toward the woman. She was headed toward the change rooms in the back. Where she would be alone. Undressed. Vulnerable.
I smiled and turned back to Bella.
"You've had your eye on her since we walked in," I said.
Her smirk sharpened. "I know."
"You want her?"
"Maybe."
"I thought you weren't hungry?"
"I said I wasn't going to snap. Not that I wasn't hungry."
I looked at her for along moment. Her eyes were black and round and even though she wouldn't say it out loud I knew she was asking. She had only fed a few days ago but the temptation was strong. I was labouring under my own temptation as well. The temptation to give my mate what she wanted and make her happy. And in the end it seemed I was the weaker woman because I really could not resist.
I smiled at her and gestured with my head toward the change rooms.
Bella grinned and put the corset back and hurried along the aisle.
I followed her, only a few steps behind. This was so wrong. So reckless. Whatever happened to all my earlier teachings about being careful? I had broken so many of my own rules since I met Bella. Now I was going to let her murder a woman right in the middle of a busy mall during christmas week. Hopefully she could at least do it quietly. Luckily we had been clothes shopping just before and I had with me a small bag of clean clothes that Bella could change into afterward.
The change rooms were mostly empty. Bella knew by scent which one her prey had gone into. The cubicles were like bathroom stalls with curtains instead of doors. I went into an unoccupied one and stood on the chair to look over into the wall into the next stall. The woman was down there, shrugging off her blouse. Underneath all she wore was a black pushup that snug against the huge mounds of her breasts. I could see directly into her yummy cleavage. I almost wished I could join in but it would be nice just to watch. The woman reached for the catch of her bra and removed it, liberating those heavy mounds from the confinement of their cups, and then suddenly the curtain to her stall flung back.
The woman gasped and jumped. Her boobs jiggled. Bella grabbed her hair bun and shoved her head into the mirror.
The glass shattered. I looked back wildly across the change rooms but we were fairly isolated. I turned back to the stall and looked down at the scene unfolding. The woman's hair had come loose. She was dazed and her glasses were hanging from one ear. Bella spun her around and bit into her neck. The bite was so savage that it severed her vocal chords. The woman's eyes bulged out in agony. Blood was running down her chest and over Bella's hand where it clawed into one of those big white tits hard enough to break the skin.
I watched, mesmerized. It had been the quickest kill she had ever done since becoming a newborn. No playing around this time. Just quick and gleeful. A special delight, an indulgent snack. Like a woman cheating on a strict diet. Bella was growling into the wound, holding up the woman by her hair and her breast, gulping down the pumping blood. The woman was dying and finally her eyes rolled up and fell closed. Her legs went slack. Bella hefted her up, draining a last few mouthfuls, and then she let the body slump over to the floor among the shards of glass and her discarded bra.
Bella looked up at me with blood all over her face and her black eyes glazed with satisfaction, the dead woman at her feet with her tits out and one of them half ripped off. I smiled and handed down the bag of clean clothes.
"Leave your dirty clothes in there," I told her. "And wipe your face, gosh did you have to be so messy?"
Bella grinned and pulled off her top and wiped her face with it.
"What about the body?" she asked.
"Don't worry about it," I said. "We won't be in Seattle much longer."
I gave her a wink and she smiled and started unbuttoning her jeans.
Within minutes she was changed into fresh clothes, a blue sundress which we had bought for one of our coven mates but now would have to belong to Bella. Luckily no one had entered the change rooms. We exited our stalls, both of us in sundresses, her in blue, me in red, and we smiled and linked arms and continued out. It was only a matter of time till someone found the dead woman and we didn't pause to complete our shopping. We hadn't managed to find something special for Tanya but Bella said we could always order something off the internet.
It was almost dark by the time we got home. We took all our purchases upstairs and began wrapping them in boxes and adding little bows and writing on tags and little cards. It took hours to get it all wrapped up and then we grinned and decided to go stash it all under the tree so that the others would be surprised tomorrow morning.
The load took three garbage bags and we came down the stairs with the bags slung over our shoulders, tip toeing, being quiet, a strange pair of Santa Clauses in the dark mansion. Our stealth was for naught, however, because as we approached the door to the parlour we heard voices. At first I thought it would be Tanya, since it was in fact Tanya's parlour, but it wasn't. It was Irena and Claire. They were speaking very quietly and neither Bella nor I could make out what they were saying. We had wanted the addition of our presents under the tree to be a surprise but oh well. It wouldn't matter if Irena and Claire knew.
We went in and that's when we realized we had interrupted something.
Claire was actually standing up, which was our first clue. Usually she remained on the floor as much as possible. The other clue was the smile on her face. A beaming smile that was mirrored by Irena. They were standing beside the tree, naked in the warm firelight, Claire gazing up at the much taller Irena, and Claire was clutching something in her hands joyfully. On the floor was an empty box and discarded christmas paper. I immediately felt guilty for intruding on them but they didn't seem upset. They actually smiled at us. Bella smiled as well and she was curious what was happening.
"Hey," she said. "What's going on?"
Claire smile beamed even brighter and she glanced back and forth between Bella and Irena, wondering if she had permission to speak. Irena looked down bashfully, embarrassed, and Claire giggled and couldn't contain herself.
"Irena gave me an early Christmas present," she said. "See?"
She opened her hands and spread a strip of black lace across her palm. Bella and I set down our sacks and looked closer. It was a collar. Not a dog collar like the one she was wearing but a proper collar like what ladies wore in regency England. There was a large black opal embroidered into the lace that reflected the firelight.
I was impressed and Bella grinned.
"Wow," she said. "That's pretty."
Irena had partly recovered from her embarrassment by now and she reached for the collar Claire was currently wearing and took it off. It was just a plain leather dog collar. Claire stood patiently and Irena removed the collar and tossed it into the fire. The piece of leather sat there in the coals and soon began to curl.
Bella and I glanced at each other, smiling, knowing we were witnessing a special moment. Irena took the new collar from Claire, the delicate strip of black lace with the opal in the center, and now she put it around Claire's neck. Claire gazed at her the whole time, smiling, her eyes swimming with submission. Irena latched the collar and cupped her face.
"You're not a dog to me anymore, Claire," she said. "You're a woman. My woman."
Claire's smile quivered with happiness. "I just want to be yours, Irena."
"You are," Irena whispered. "And you always will be. I love you. And I'm going to take care of you and keep you at my side forever. For all eternity."
A sob gushed out of Claire. Irena brushed a tear away from her cheek with her thumb and leaned to kiss her.
Bella and I smiled at them, glancing at each other one more time, and then we began backing out of the parlour quickly. We could do our presents later.
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AN: This was Claire's chapter, lol. I wanted her to have something special. I just wish I could've given her a little more dialogue and backstory. I imagine her having a difficult life. Disapproving parents, failed relationships, dead end career, general weakness of personality. Knowing all that would've made it more sweet when Irena says she's going to take care of her forever. Hopefully I can still include that exposition later on somehow. First person POV can be very limiting for that kind of thing.
Okay, hope you liked it. New chapter soon. :)
