She wanted to believe Missy when she used that voice, but it was hard to feel any peace of mind. The other woman had only experienced one conversation with Katia; though it had been several decades since she had last seen her sire, Nikita still knew her better. When the two Russians had first parted ways, she was convinced that it would be a no more than a few years before they were reunited. But time continued to pass, and after twenty years went by, Nikita began to have her doubts that she would ever see Katia again. As of a few months ago, she was positive that several more lifetimes would pass before she set sights on her sire again. True, it was entirely possible that Katia had grown bored with her life of travel and decided to pay her childe a visit, but Nikita’s paranoia made her believe such a coincidence unlikely. But if she did know, then who told her? Nikita’s mind ran through the short list of people who knew that she had turned Missy. She genuinely believed that Eloisa would rather torture and kill the two of them herself than allow the Roses to take care of their own. Cheyenne was much too meek and painfully good-natured to turn them over; she didn’t trust the Sol’s sire as far as she could throw him, but incriminating them also meant admitting his and his childe’s own involvement. That was it… but if none of them had ratted her and Missy out, then… could Katia really be here just for a visit?
If her heart had been beating, it would have no doubt stopped when Missy pulled her chin up to look in her eyes. Her jaw went rigid and her eyes blazed as the war within herself began again. Should she pull away, or was the better question did she want to? There was something about the fact that the other woman already knew one of her greatest fears, had experienced it with her, that made her all the more receptive to Missy’s touch and the look in her eyes that she knew would lead to more. She didn’t react as Missy gently brushed her thumb against her jaw, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel anything. The words were certainly affecting her more than anything else. Nikita too was unsure as to whom Missy was referring to, but that didn’t stop her mind from considering them carefully. She had told herself that the other woman needed to stay at her house for safety reasons, however there was no denying how suspicious it looked for Missy to move in with someone that she had openly hated mere months ago. Enough time had passed that she could return to her own house, but did Nikita really want her to? She was just starting to grow accustomed to having extra people in her home. Silvia no doubt enjoyed having Kristen around, and Nikita… well, when Missy was being agreeable, she wasn’t half bad to spend time with; they had dated after all.
Nikita slowly licked her lips, considering her next move. Of course those words were none that she could speak to Katia. If she even hinted at needing someone, the older vampire would laugh in her face and call her weak. There was no speculation: Katia had essentially done that very thing when Nikita had begged for the two of them to stay together. Her sire had no room for sentimentality in her life, and that had been a hard lesson for Nikita to learn. Besides, she doubted that Missy was truly thinking of the other Rose at the moment. She was at a loss for words. She couldn’t say that she wanted Missy to stay, especially considering that she was just coming to terms with the thought. Wanting someone around was the first step to needing someone, and Nikita had promised herself to never let that happen again. Her thoughts stilled for a moment, long enough for her to assure herself that it wouldn’t, and then she acted. Nikita opened her arms and placed her hands on Missy’s hips, pulling her forward as she closed the distance between their lips. The kiss was light and tentative, hinting at the uncertainty she was feeling.