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Lilith looked pointedly at the clock above the mantle and huffed. Nadja was late. Again. Ever since her friend had turned the insufferable mortal, she’d been less and less reliable – which wasn’t exactly unusual in itself; the vampire often got distracted with her temporary infatuations and forgot about her other, more important relationships. It just never usually went on for this bloody long. It had been almost half a century since Nadja had turned the man, and still he followed her around like a lost puppy – not that Lilith could fault him for that. In fact, his adoration for Nadja was the man’s sole redeeming quality, as far as the witch was concerned. The problem was that Nadja didn’t usually return it. She would find some pretty mortal thing, follow them around, occasionally turn them and then either kill them or get tired of them within the year. The longest one of her dalliances had ever lasted before was half a decade; and that was only because she was a pirate and kept disappearing for months on end.
The worst part was that they didn’t even seem to like each other half the time. They were always arguing, screaming at each other like banshees over the slightest misstep, but every time Lilith thought the whole sordid affair might finally be over, she would walk in on the two of them fucking like rabbits. Although, if Lilith was being entirely honest with herself (which she rarely tried to be), she would admit that her definition of ‘the worst part’ shifted entirely depending on which of the couple’s habits was currently irritating her the most. Which was perfectly sensible, she reasoned as she glared into the crackling fire. The two of them were unbearable.
“Who pissed you off this time?” Lilith jumped, and then tried to pretend she hadn’t. For someone that needed permission to enter, Nadja was remarkably good at loitering in doorways unnoticed.
“Come in,” Nadja’s body relaxed and she crossed the threshold, Lilith pointedly refusing to look at her. “You’re late.”
“Am I?”
“By over three hours.”
“Like you’ve never gotten distracted by-”
“What the fuck is that.” It wasn’t really a question, but the witch was powerless to stop the words or the venom behind them the moment she noticed the ring. And realised that it was almost certainly the reason Nadja was in a strangely good mood, why she had been humming slightly as she came in, and still had the faint glimmer of a smile playing at her lips.
“Do you like it?” Nadja held it out, the priceless metal and gemstones dancing in the firelight. “Laszlo gave it to me when we woke up.”
“Laszlo,” Lilith all but spat the name, “Has been trying to give that to you since you turned him.”
“Yes, well…” she drew her hand back and started fiddling with the ring, an uncharacteristic uncertainty threatening to overtake her voice as Lilith’s lip curled into what could only be described as a snarl. “He knows what he’s getting into now – he’s had a taste of immortality, so if marriage is still what he wants, then-”
“And since when was marriage what you want?” The witch snapped, having finally managed to drag her eyes away from the offending object. Nadja’s smile was gone now, and Lilith wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that way.
“What’s going on with you today? Did something happen with the coven?” concern was written across Nadja’s face, and Lilith tried to ignore it, instead opting to pace around the room and pretend she couldn’t feel Nadja watching her.
“Nothing’s ‘going on’ with me. I’m just surprised you accepted, is all. Considering he hasn’t stopped fucking any pretty thing that moves since the day he got to London, and his appetite has only increased since you turned him.”
“Since when did you see that as a bad thing? It’s not like either of us exactly has the moral high ground there, Lily.” Nadja made a valid point, and was half laughing while she made it, which only made the witch’s blood boil further. She refused to analyse why she was so upset, concluding that it was in no way relevant to the conversation. She’d have plenty of time to sort through it all later, when her head had cooled and Nadja wasn’t watching her from the other side of the room like she was an animal in a cage, placed there for the vampire’s amusement and ready to be abandoned the second she got bored.
“I just hope you’re prepared to do what needs to be done when you eventually get tired of your little pet.”
“I told you to stop calling him that!” Nadja was beginning to lose her infamously short temper now, baring her fangs and moving closer. Good, said a voice somewhere in the back of Lilith’s mind. Let her get angry. Let her see how it feels. It was that same voice that told Lilith what to say next, what would hurt Nadja more than anything else in that moment.
“Or perhaps you’re more worried about what happens when he gets tired of you.” Nadja gasped as if she’d been struck, but it only sharpened the witch’s anger further, honing her hurt into something she could use against the vampire as she took a slow step forward, her face only inches from Nadja’s and a cruel smile curling across her lips. “Just don’t expect me to pick up the pieces when he leaves you in the dust.” She saw in Nadja’s eyes that she’d hit her mark, and even though she knew that was enough, she couldn’t stop herself from continuing. “You have no idea how easy it was to seduce your little toy, dearest.”
“What?” the word was barely above a whisper, and a small part of Lilith was begging her to stop talking, to backtrack, to dry the vampire’s unshed tears and hold her close until morning. But that part of her was far too small and feeble compared to the boiling rage mixed with what she refused to identify as jealousy, and not even Nadja’s anguish could curb the witch’s fury.
“Oh, didn’t he tell you? We had a lovely little chat the other night, while you were out hunting some poor mortal for the two of you to share. I’m surprised you didn’t scent me on him when you got back.”
“Laszlo would never-” Her voice wavered slightly, but didn’t lose any of its fire as she tried to defend her fiancé.
“Oh wouldn’t he?” Lilith watched as the other woman’s confidence began breaking apart, and still, she couldn’t stop. “Why don’t you ask him, darling? We both know he’s not a good enough liar to deny it.” There was a long, horrible pause as Lilith’s confession hung in the air between them. Nadja searched the witch’s face, trying to find the truth behind her inscrutable expression. The witch only quirked one eyebrow upwards, and for the briefest of seconds, Nadja looked like she might bite her. Lilith felt a surge of fear as it looked like her friend might finally give in to her basest instinct and tear the witch’s throat out with her teeth, draining her – or worse; leaving her to bleed out on the floor of her own rooms, unable to call for help. She managed not to flinch when Nadja instead hissed in her face before storming out of the room at a supernatural speed, slamming the door behind her.
~
Lilith refused to apologise first. She could only assume that Laszlo had confirmed the truth of her story, though just how much of the tale he’d revealed remained a mystery. Nadja hadn’t returned to her shop since, which she’d initially taken as a good sign – the vampire tended to disappear for a while when she was particularly angry or upset. Of course, the witch had naturally assumed she was angry with Laszlo – after all, he was the one that had truly betrayed her. Lilith had merely… helped the process along. And not a moment too soon, considering Nadja had actually accepted his pathetic proposal. He would have done it with someone else eventually – had already bedded half of London. Surely Nadja wouldn’t hold a grudge against her friend for proving how ill-suited he was to her? One of the few things the pair always agreed on was that Nadja deserved someone who would worship her – and clearly the irritating man wasn’t up to the task. It hadn’t even been difficult – all it took was a generic European accent and long dark hair, and he’d somehow mistaken her for Nadja. Which, she recognised wasn’t technically cheating on his part, but if that was all it took to fool him then he clearly didn’t appreciate the other woman nearly as much as he should.
Lilith had truly believed the revelation would change Nadja’s mind – she never would have done it if she didn’t. All the unnatural forces knew Lilith wasn’t personally invested in Laszlo, of all people, and she could get vampire semen from anywhere. She’d done all this for Nadja’s sake. Which was a point that only brought about the feelings she’d been trying to avoid for years. Lilith ignored the churning in her stomach as she thought about how hurt Nadja had looked before she left. Oh, she’d been furious, but the pain in her eyes… Lilith refused to let herself contemplate it, which only made her mind conjure up the image more and more frequently. She just kept clinging to the same points – technically, she had been right. It did change her friend’s mind. Nadja had indeed chosen a side – but for the first time in their centuries-long friendship, it hadn’t been with the witch. They’d had little fights before, of course – and though Nadja had seemed angrier this time, Lilith had no doubt she’d come to her senses in a few years’ time. This little spat certainly wouldn’t last longer than a decade or so. The two of them always forgave each other. Eventually.