Irredeemably Me

"Let her protect you."

"Lucy, girl, please take no offence when I say this, but you have got to let me do something about that hair of yours." Dinah twirled a dark lock of hair around her finger and examined it, her eyes similar to that of a scientist studying a lab rat.

"I was never under the impression that there was any fault with my hair." Lucy had somewhat grown accustomed to Dinah's spontaneous make-over ideas. Over the past week she'd been the one to keep Dinah occupied whilst Lauren and Camila worked out what their next move would be.

The blonde grew bored easily and as a result, Lucy had become her play thing. If she wasn't testing Lucy's limits with alcohol, Dinah would try to paint her face with different make-up styles or force the vampire to try the different foods she could not perfect. She seemed to have little regard that she was in the presence of a being older than her by centuries and treated Lucy as a friend, though Lucy wasn't quite sure when she'd allowed that to be the case.

"It just needs more...volume."

"I'll have you know that I have had countless artists plead with me to pose for portraits. Being the creature that I am, my outer appearance demands attention. I am sought after when I am in a room. It is a result of being a creature that lures humans as its prey."

"Someone thinks a little highly of themselves, I-"

A knock on the door drew Dinah's retort to a stop and Lucy was instantly on alert...right until she wasn't. Because a scent had met her and she would know that scent anywhere.

Before Dinah could say another word, Lucy ripped open the door and there stood Vero. And despite everything that put a distance between them, despite the knowledge that she'd never be able to redeem herself in her love's eyes...Lucy was still floored by her very presence. She was still stunned by the beauty that was Vero. It defied her own sanity; the draw she still felt towards the witch.

"Lauren sent me here," Vero walked in as Lucy stepped aside to allow her entry. "She says here is safer than being on my own."

"I did not assume you'd return." Lucy closed the door softly, watching as Dinah opted to sink onto the couch and try to make herself invisible to everyone in the room. No doubt to eavesdrop.

"I wasn't going to," The witch spoke in a clipped tone; no emotions and controlled. "But turns out your cousin's love interest just so happens to be a ruler of the witches."

"You've spoken with Lauren."

"I barely made it out alive," Vero scoffed, finally looking up and meeting Lucy's eyes and in that gaze...Lucy did not recognise a thing about the girl before her. Her eyes were cold and desolate. They were empty of everything that Vero had ever been. "Guess that's what I get for leaving Lauren to die."

"Rest assured, she would have done the same." Lucy sighed, running a hand through her hair and mentally cursing Dinah for making her self-conscious of the volume it lacked. "You are here to help Camila."

"I am here to serve Camila." It seemed important to Vero that this distinction be made. "Unlike you and Lauren, she has not taken innocent lives and so I feel like I should at least try to keep her on that path."

"She contains the blood of a demon, it flows through her veins," The vampire crossed her arms. "She will one day take an innocent life, it is not a matter of if...but when."

And that settled the conversation between the pair. Lucy led Vero to her spare room, opting to choose the one furthest away from her own for the witch's comfort. She didn't linger outside Vero's door like she wanted to. Because in truth, all she wanted was to stay there for a moment listen to the witch's steady beating heart and take in the fact that she was actually there. Lucy couldn't find it in her to hold any ill-feelings towards her love, not when Vero was in such close proximity. Not when Lucy didn't think she would ever see the witch again.