The Vixen & the Fox II

The Secret & the Legacy: Chapter 9

Armillary Sphere.

Unknown Location...

There was a gentle touch on his skin, soft, soothing, achingly familiar.

Curious, he rolled over.

Dark hair spilled artfully across the neighbouring pillow, haloing a pair of mischievous blue eyes and slyly curved lips. The love of his life reached out and gently stroked her thumb down his coarse beard.

"Bonjour cher," she whispered. Her New Orleans twang rolled off her tongue lovingly. A smile spread across his face as he reached for her hand. He pressed the curve of his lips to her palm with all the care of a promise. Closing his eyes, he let himself inhale her scent deeply. Soft lips pressed against his brow. Instinctively, he looked up and caught her mouth with his own. She kissed back fiercely. His soul ached for her every bit of his wife at that moment.

But this was not her.

Davina choked as he grabbed their throat and threw them against the pillows.

"Kol!?" she wheezed in shock. Desperate hands came up to claw at his wrists as her pupils blew wide. "It's me, Kol! IT'S ME!!"

His upper lip curled back in a snarl, "Remove. That. Face."

Davina's visage filled with sheer terror.

In a fit of rage, Kol threw the imposter off the bed and sent them tumbling across the floor. Carefully rising, he prowled around the prone, gagging form of his wife.

"You are good, darling," he admitted, crouching over them. He tilted his head to the side while his eyes took in every detail. "The best yet."

The little imperfections which made Davina Claire, Davina Claire were present in her imitation.

The crow's feet around her eyes, the laughter lines of her mouth, the small scar on her left cheek, the slight tilt of her nose, and the timelessness of her magic were all present. However, the blue of her iris lacked the flakes of green and silver, the curve of her cheekbones was too smooth, her skin too flawless, her hair perfect. There was a lack of sharpness to her all around. It was like looking upon a more innocent, less battle-hardened Davina.

Kol gripped faux Davina's chin tightly, angrily.

"But you are not my wife," he sneered.

The fake wrenched their chin from his grip with a sideways jerk of their head.

"What are you talking about, Kol?!" she pleaded, "It's me! Your wife, for God's sake!"

A laugh tore free from his gut. "Now I know you're not my wife!"

The imposter shook her head in supposed disbelief. "You've gone mad."

"Perhaps," he conceded, "But not just yet, darling."

The fake tried to rally her deception by adopting a scared expression. She scrambled backwards using her hands and feet till her back collided with the far wall of the cell. Her eyes then frantically scanned for a door but upon finding none, turned back to face Kol like one would a rabid animal.

"Kol, snap out of it! I know you've been messing with the Armillary Sphere. You must've done something and now it's screwing with your head!!" she pleaded.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. If he'd had any doubts before, now they were no more. Davina Claire did not beg. "Really, darling? The Armillary Sphere again? What is this, the fourth, fifth time now?"

Kol wasn't entirely certain who had him trapped but their obsession with bringing up the Armillary Sphere in every conversation was concerning. He thanked the gods he'd had the presence of mind to hand the blasted thing off to his daughter before he'd been captured.