Shielding The Innocent - Niklaus Mikaelson

Chapter 8

When the sun rises Niklaus and Elijah put together a breakfast in the dining room for Kol and Finn. I decided to sit at the end of the table sipping on water to see how this plays out. I, honestly, doubt they can flip Finn to our side, but they want to try. Kol and Finn sit side by side on one side of the table with Elijah across from them. Niklaus, of course, sits at the head of the table, across from me.

We haven't spoken about last night. However, if this kiss goes like the other then I don't think there will be a conversation. I avoid any eye contact and just listen to them quietly, while fiddling with some purple grapes in front of me.

"We arrived into this world as innocents, wide-eyed, vulnerable. It is the job of our parents to nurture and protect us." Niklaus tells his brothers. "Unfortunately, our own parents failed miserably at even the most basic of parental tasks, but we are not beholden to the past they created for us. Today, a new future awaits. Forget your animosity towards Elijah and myself, and instead join us against she who truly deserves your ire... our mother. Do this and we will welcome you with open arms." Kol reaches for a pastry that is in front of him in the middle of the table. Before he can grab one Elijah moves the plate out of his reach. "But if you continue to oppose us, a denial of pastries will be the least of your concerns."

"If all you wanted was my allegiance against mother dearest, you should have said so, save me a night shackled to the wall." Kol replies looking at Nik.

"This was Niklaus." Elijah says. "My recommendation was to remove your limbs one by one until you comply." I roll my eye. And everyone wonders why I think Elijah is more unhinged and dangerous than Nik.

Nik laughs a bit as he stands and walks behind Kol and Finn. "We've no desire to torture you, provided you vow to stand beside us as brothers." Nik place a hand on each brother's back.

"Brothers?" Finn replies. "Does that word even apply to us after all these centuries of betrayal, and is loyalty to you ever really rewarded?" Niklaus walks back behind his seat and keeps his back to us. "If so, tell me Niklaus, where is our sister Rebekah?" I look up at Finn with narrow eyes as he fishes for information. "She was blindly loyal to you for a thousand years, and now nowhere to be found. Where did our sister go, and how did she escape your vile machinations?"

Nik huffs out another small laugh of amusement as he turns around to face Finn. "You think me vile?" Nik sits down in his chair. "Well, what then, do you make of the one who cursed us?"

"She was trying to make you mortal again, and the three of you refused her." Finn defends Esther, looking at Nik, Elijah, and me. "Only proves how far you've fallen, but I expect Rebekah will have a different response to her proposal. See, unlike the two of you, she always did cling to her humanity."

"Rebekah's off limits, too." Elijah warns him. "You pursue her, and you will suffer."

"Do not let him goad you, Elijah." Nik says. "Neither he nor Esther will find Rebekah unless she wants to be found, and she does not."

"Esther is quite determined." Finn fires back, trying to get a rise. "She's been searching for Rebekah since the day she returned." My heart beat picks up, but I keep calm on the outside. Thank god, Finn and Kol aren't vampires anymore, or they would hear it. "I imagine it's only a matter of time."

Elijah looses his cool and quickly reaches across the table grabbing the collar of Finn's shirt and yanking him over the table. He holds him down on the floor and reveals his vampire face with a hiss, before biting into Finn's neck. Finn let's out a scream of pain, while he attempts to push Elijah off with no luck.

Niklaus quickly pries Elijah off Finn and pulls him into the hallway, leaving me with Kol and Finn. Finn grabs a napkin and starts cleaning the blood from his neck. Kol stands and walks to the doors Nik and Elijah exited through. Both of them are still cuffed by the manacles.