Inopinatum [1] ➳ N. Mikaelson [COMPLETED]

➳ 19: the hybrid

KLAUS, Valentina, and Stefan silently hiked through the Smoky Mountains where Ray's pack was supposedly hiding.

"Are you alright, my darling?" Klaus asked Valentina out of genuine concern. She had been dragging behind them with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah." She lied horribly with a curt nod of her head. The truth was she barely slept the whole trip there.

Klaus knew instantly that she was lying but chose not to push the subject further. His glance lingered on the side of her face for a moment longer before he looked back at the path in front of them. "You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?" He asked Stefan, who carried Ray over his shoulder, mockingly.

"I'm fine." Stefan gruffly assured him, not up to making conversation with the hybrid.

"You sure about that?" Klaus challenged in an attempt to push Stefan's buttons. "You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down..."

"Nik," Valentina called out to him in a warning tone of voice.

Stefan nodded his head with a bitter smile but didn't stop walking the trail. "You know, I get that we're, uh...we're stuck together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, it'd be great."

"So much brooding. Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend." Klaus commented lowly causing Valentina to poke him hard underneath his scapula. He swatted at her hand and pointed a finger in her direction, daring her to do it again.

Instead of feeling intimidated, she simply snorted out a laugh with an obvious eye roll. "Oookay."

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves. We've been at it all summer." Stefan explained in frustration.

"Thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack," Klaus said as they came to a clearing full of people wandering about. "There."

Stefan entered their camp and set Ray on the ground earning their attention. "Ray! Oh, my God!" A woman with short brunette hair ran over to check on the dead werewolf and then glanced at the three strangers. "What's going on? Who are you?"

"The important question is who am I." Klaus arrogantly replied on his way toward them. "Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus."

"You're the hybrid." She concluded while slowly rising to her feet.

"You've heard of me. Fantastic." Klaus mused in glee with a devious smile then sat down on a fallen tree trunk with Stefan. "It's fascinating, actually... A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid."

Valentina leaned up against a nearby tree and rolled her eyes at his smug attitude. "Glad to see your ego is still in check, Nik." She mused sarcastically earning a proud smile from him.

Suddenly Ray woke up with a loud, dramatic gasp for air and rolled onto his stomach.

"Excellent timing, Ray. Very dramatic." Klaus commented through a stage whisper.

"What's happening to me?" Ray asked them, glancing around frantically at his pack.

"Stefan." Klaus gave him the cue to take over.