Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either

Chapter 69

Time seemed to move slowly.

It was giving her terrible flashbacks to when she had been trapped with The Strix, and she knew Hayley felt the same way.

Beatrix had awoken strapped into a chair, ropes of vervain around her wrists and ankles, as well as one around her neck. There was an additional IV inserted into her, pumping vervain in every minute.

Beside her had been Hayley. They were both drenched in sweat and dirt— the building they were in was full of dust and smelled of burned sage.

"H-Hayley," gasped Beatrix, not daring to move. "Hayley..."

"She was awake before you."

The Heretic's head shot up, seeing Greta entering the room. Above her head, written on the wall in blood were the words 'FREAK FILTH CROSSBREEDS.' Greta smirked and knelt in front of Beatrix. "She already had her taste of pain. She woke up from the sleeping spell her daughter put on her. Attacked us. We subdued her easily. It was her blood we used to write that, up there. Now, it's your turn. Every good painting needs a second coat."

Beatrix let out a scream as Greta drove a blade into her side. The Heretic thrashed about, only succeeding in getting more vervain pumped into her. The vampire before her yanked the blade out, spilling Beatrix's blood into a tin that awaited under her chair. Moaning in pain, she felt herself be bled out. With all the vervain, there was no way she'd heal right away. The blood would continue to leak until Greta wished for it to stop.

"We took the liberty of taking your magic," added Greta, watching with satisfaction as the tin began to fill up. She held up a small piano key. "It was very easy to search your mind to find the symbol we needed. And of course, my witch was verycapable of draining it out by force. It was why you hadn't awakened. It's been... a few days."

"Days?" gasped Beatrix in shock. She squeezed her eyes shut, her side throbbing painfully. "No..."

"We are quite fortunate that your niece was idiotic enough to sabotage you and her mother herself. From there, it was quite easy for my son to find you." Greta dipped the piano key into the tin of blood, smearing it before wrapping it into a handkerchief. "I ask for your opinion— do you think this will be enough for Klaus to recognize you, or should we add this to the gift box we intend to send?"

Greta held up another handkerchief. Beatrix nearly threw up. It was part of Hayley's back— flesh carved out to show her Crescent birthmark. The vampire smirked as the Heretic turned away. "That's a good answer," she said darkly. She pulled out a fancy little wooden box from her pocket. Inside of it was a coin with an eagle. Greta carefully placed the bloodied piano key inside with it, then the torn flesh. "Roman."

A young boy with curly dirty blond hair and hazel eyes entered the room. Beatrix glared up when she recognized him. He was one of Hope's classmates. Greta handed him the box. "You know what to do with this."

"Yes, mother," he said before speeding out of the room.

Beatrix growled and tried to break out of her restraints again, to no avail. "When I get out of here, I will tear you and your son to shreds!"

Greta smirked. "You won't get out, darling. And if you harm my son and I, then my daughter will come for you. Perhaps you know her. After all, she's the girl dating that handsome Elijah Mikaelson who you once called your own."

Snarling, Beatrix tried to kick out, but couldn't. Greta looked overjoyed at her misery. "You hybrids are the worst of the lot," she said. "Perhaps, you may not be as bad as the three werewolf-vampire bastards and the tribrid girl that runs amok. But you and that other Heretic are perhaps even more dangerous." She grasped Beatrix's face roughly. "Rest assured that you will all be dead. And half-breeds will cease to exist. First, I'll kill that little tribrid bitch borne of Mikaelson blood. Then, I will have you watch as I kill Hayley and the father of her daughter. I will gather that Heretic girl— Valerie Tulle— and I will make you witness her beheading. And then, you will get the mercy of death, so that at the end, it is Marcel Gerard that has to see the bodies piled together, before he meets his end too."