A/N: I did it! I finally completed the next chapter! You guys are either going to love me or hate me for this, but that's a pretty common theme for my updates. Please tell me what you think as always, give me life with your reviews :)
Chapter 11
Despite all three queens being more than interested in continuing the teasing of their beloved mate, they held themselves back. After all, judging from the current situation, Bella certainly couldn't take much more. The poor thing looked ready to combust.
"Isabella, are you alright?" Didyme asked, doing her best to sound concerned instead of amused.
From her place face down on her bed, Bella mumbled something that should have been unintelligible, covering her head with her hands. Thanks to vampire hearing, however, everyone heard Bella's words as clear as day. "Why did you make me say that? Ugh you guys are so mean to me." It was clear that Bella didn't mean it, not like how other people had been mean to her, and all it did was make the queens smile.
"Isabella, you're the one who said it all on your own. I didn't make you say anything." For once, Athenodora didn't sound grumpy or accusatory. She was much too happy to sound that way, even by accident.
"Perhaps you can clear the air by telling us what your dream was about?" Sulpicia asked, more than a little hopeful. Of course, seeing Bella's ears turn bright red was a definite gift to the queen all on its own.
Bella let out a groan of pure embarrassed agony, which had the queens and Heidi fighting off smiles. Needing an ally, Bella risked a glance at Heidi, only to see her only friend had turned traitor and was enjoying her suffering along with the rest of them.
Out of desperation, Bella remembered what Heidi had said, about how the queens would do anything for her. She saw only one way to save herself.
"Didyme, can you come here?" Bella asked, peeking out from under her arm to meet the gentle queen's red eyes.
Thank the gods that Didyme was a vampire, because if she hadn't been, her heart would have stopped at the adorable overload.
"Of course, Isabella." Didyme was in front of her in a blink, sitting next to the hiding human on the bed. "What do you need?"
Instead of answering verbally, Bella reached out and turned Didyme to face the other queens, wrapping her arms around Didyme's middle and burying her face in Didyme's back. Long ago, Bella had learned it was much easier to survive hiding behind something strong, and despite that something strong now being a vampire and her sorta-enemy, she knew Didyme was her best option. Until Bella could recover from the embarrassment, Didyme would be Bella's shield.
"Make them stop being mean to me," Bella all but begged.
With Bella's arms around her, Didyme was in absolute heaven. She didn't even hesitate to turn on the other queens.
"You heard her," Didyme said to Athenodora and Sulpicia with a stern frown. "Stop teasing the poor girl."
"Traitor," Sulpicia huffed, Athenodora growling in agreement as she crossed her arms over her chest. Not that either of them could blame Didyme for changing sides. Not only had Isabella purposely called out to Didyme, but with her showing off such an adorable side to her, any of the queens would have been happy to do whatever she wished.
"Thanks, Didyme," Bella heaved a sigh of relief. Now that she had a reprieve from the foreign emotion, she found herself strangely relaxed and happy, especially touching Didyme as she was.
"Of course, Isabella. Whenever you need me, I'm here," Didyme murmured, turning slightly to address her. Tentatively, Didyme stroked the girl's hair, and was pleasantly surprised when Bella closed her eyes and turned her head to encourage the touch, even nuzzling Didyme's side.
Oh, how the other two queens envied her right then.
"You sure don't take embarrassment well, do you, Isabella?" Sulpicia murmured. Her own desires overpowering her, she dared to glide closer to her mate, sitting on the other end of Bella's bed. Bella was so blissed out at Didyme's touch, that she didn't even seem to remember she was supposed to be defensive towards any of them. Which was why, instead of stiffening or pulling away, Bella's legs draped across Sulpicia's lap, curling around her waist to bring her closer. Sulpicia was in absolute heaven, but both she and Didyme couldn't help but glance over at Athenodora. Athenodora, who was frowning, craving the same contact but with no idea how to join in.
"Embarrassment is a foreign emotion to me," Bella murmured. She didn't open her eyes, which was why she didn't notice how she had four vampires now frowning at her. "You don't have time to worry about being embarrassed when you are focused on survival. Taking time to be self conscious, or worry about how others view you, could be the few seconds that could cost you your life." Of course, since meeting Heidi, and then the queens, Bella had to slowly become used to emotions she never had to before. Could Bella be losing her edge? Putting herself at risk by feeling? She certainly appeared weak in the current moment.
Before Isabella had a moment to worry about that, all four vampires snarled. None of them liked the idea of Bella having to actually worry about whether or not she should feel emotions, of all things. It made all of them, even Heidi and Didyme, want to destroy the world that caused Bella such suffering.
Strangely enough, Bella couldn't find herself even stiffening in reaction to the vampires' fury. It made her actually feel safer, even more relaxed than before. That was another strange emotion to her, now that Bella realized it. Relaxation. You could never truly relax when everyone wanted you dead. There was a time when a priest had tried poisoning her once, it has made her realize that she wasn't welcome even in the most forgiving of places.
"My kill list appears to grow longer by the second," Athenodora growled under her breath furiously, glaring at her mate-or rather, the unseen enemies that plagued her. She was a warrior, a strategist; the true fighter among the queens. Never in her life of a vampire had Athenodora faced an enemy and lost. Yet here she was, unable to do anything for her own mate. She had never felt so helpless. So desperate. "Tell me, what do you need me to do, Isabella? Tell me and I will move the very earth if I have to. Kill anyone and everyone you wish. I will start a war on every human on this planet if you wish."
"Athenodora, can we not wage war on humanity? That would be quite a breach of our own laws," Didyme said dryly. Of course, she had similar feelings toward humans at the current moment, but she did have a job to uphold.
In response, Athenodora only huffed and muttered, "They keep hurting Isabella, so I need to return the favor. Besides, I can kill all of the humans from the shadows. None of them will live long enough to know of our existence."
Surprised by the determination and truth she sensed behind Athenodora's words, Bella peeked out from behind Didyme to see the aggressive blonde watching her with black eyes. Despite how angry Athenodora was, Bella felt even more protected at the show of such anger than she had felt simply hiding behind Didyme.
"Well?" Athenodora demanded impatiently. She had to help somehow, and Isabella simply staring at her wasn't helping Athenodora's attempt to help Isabella.
"Stop that," Sulpicia chided, despite aching to act for Isabella herself. "Don't rush her."
"Bella," Heidi murmured, not daring to get close, but wanting to help out the queens and Bella. Afraid that there might be more angry words thrown at the warrior queen by the human, she added, "Athenodora wants to protect you; she loves you. They all do."
Strangely enough, the idea of snapping at Athenodora didn't even cross Bella's mind. She was still confused with her own emotional response. She didn't know what she wanted, not truly, but her body and heart apparently did. She had been kidnapped, the three queens had threatened the only friend Bella had ever had, and Bella was so determined to always hate them-yet she hadn't been able to hate them for even a second. Instead, she had clung to her anger, lashed out with it, used it as a crutch and a shield and a sword all at once.
Despite this, despite her anger and fear and her attempts to keep the queens away from her, they hadn't given up. Had gotten closer to her, slipped behind Bella's once impenetrable walls. Hell, they were currently closer than anyone had ever gotten to her, with Sulpicia absently stroking her legs, Didyme's hand resting on her hair, and Athenodora...still far away from her physically, yet close enough to make Bella dream about her.
Of course, remembering that she had dreamed about Athenodora was the worst thing she could do at the moment. Immediately, it came flooding back to her again, and Bella felt herself blushing despite herself. The three queens' eyes immediately darkened in reaction to the scent of Bella's arousal, while Heidi had no clue whether to leave them alone for a moment or stay in the chance that Bella needed her.
Nobody said a word, nobody moved. No one wanted to spook Bella, wanted to risk her retreating back into her shell. So they waited. Waited to see what Bella would do or say, despite how torturous that wait was.
This was all the queens' fault, Bella decided petulantly. If they could just stop being so...them...Bella wouldn't be struggling like this. She wouldn't have to deal with all of those strange emotions and dreams and struggles.
Not to mention the teasing. They had all been teasing her, and for some reason, that was what Bella latched on to. They were teasing her, had enjoyed her embarrassment and suffering, and so they would have to pay. She would worry about the strange feelings they invoked in her later, preferably when they weren't around. For now, however...
Athenodora, having been the one to dare cause Bella to dream like that, would have to pay first. Remembering that one book about revenge that Bella had found in the trash years ago, Bella's plan formed into action.
This is revenge, Bella told herself. She was getting revenge. Nothing more complicated than that. She just wanted to make them suffer for all that they've done to her.
"Athenodora, can you come here?" Bella asked softly, reaching out one hand and trying to appear innocent. Angelic, even.
The warrior queen frowned, appearing almost offended that Bella felt she had to ask. "Of course I can." Athenodora moved at a human pace as, despite her confidence and strength, she didn't want to risk scaring the human.
Bella sat up as Athenodora came closer, much to the other two queens' dismay, as it meant Bella was no longer touching either of them.
"Well?" Athenodora asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she towered over her human.
Bella gestured for her to get down to Bella's level, signaling that she was going to tell Athenodora a secret.
Athenodora sighed but complied, bending toward the human . "We're all vampires here, Isabella. I assure you, you won't be able to whisper at a volume that we won't be able to-"
Before Athenodora could finish, Bella's lips were on hers. The warrior froze in shock, Didyme and Sulpicia staring at the scene in a mix of joy and longing, yet just as shocked as Athenodora at the sudden change in their mate. Heidi did her best to make sure to look anywhere else but at the scene.
It was a quick kiss, just a press of Bella's lips to Athenodora's, but it lit Bella up in a way she wasn't expecting, stealing her breath for just a moment. Before Athenodora could grab Bella and deepen the kiss, Bella pulled away and left the three frozen vampire queens to walk over to Heidi.
"I want to go on a walk," Bella said, having remembered the book's lesson to leave without a word of explanation. "Can it just be you and me, Heidi? I need some time to think about some things."
Heidi glanced over at the three queens, who seemed to still be struggling to recover. She had never seen them so thrown for a loop in all of her life serving them. "Sure thing, Bella. Let's go for a walk."
With a happy skip in her step, Bella followed Heidi out of the room.
Her revenge on the three queens had started.