The Red Queen | Lucien Castle & Tristan de Martel

Chapter 1

He tried to flee, but ran into Rebekah. "Rebekah—"

She stabbed him in the abdomen. "This is for our mother." She shoved him into Kol, who held his arms back.

"Where is she?" demanded Klaus, waiting for her to emerge, even looking around wildly despite being restrained. "WHERE IS SHE?"

She stepped out leisurely, toying with the dagger in her hands. "Miss me, Nik? Funny. I seem to recall a very nastyexchange the last time we saw one another." She motioned for Kol to force him to his knees and stood over her brother, holding the tip of the dagger a centimeter from his eye, enough to make it water out of fearful anticipation. He tried to turn away, but she gripped his chin tightly, squeezing the sides of his face.

"Valda," he pleaded.

"Your eyes that precious to you?" she inquired, pouting playfully. "No... that wouldn't be fun for me. Your eyes would heal even if I did carve them up. I think—" she kicked him right in the crotch, stomping her boot against it, "I'd rather chop off your balls. I don't know if you'd actually regrow those, you know, given we're infertile. You don't need them. What do you say, Nik? What'll it be? The eyes? The balls? Perhaps I should neuter you completely. You reek of wolf now. You finally did it, did you? Turned into a hybrid? How happy you must be. Maybe I'll place you on a leash and walk you around... maybe even walk over you the way you've walked over us for the past millennia."

"You're free to go," said Elijah to the two unfamiliar men who were staring in awe. "This is family business."

They took their leave without hesitation. Probably a smart move.

"What do you say, Viv?" asked Kol darkly. "Want to continue where you left off?"

"Mm... perhaps later," she said, walking to the nearest chair and sitting down, leaning back to watch as Klaus got back to his feet. "Let's humiliate him a bit more."

Rebekah reached for a nearby vase, throwing it at one of his paintings. "I like what you've done with the new place, Nik."

Klaus stared at the floor shamefully, nearly in tears. "I wanted it to be for all of us. A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Well, you're right, none of us will be," said Elijah.

"You're staying behind," Finn stated.

"We're leaving you, Nik," said Rebekah. "Right after I kill that doppelgänger wench, then you will be alone. Always and forever."

Klaus sneered. "If you run, I will hunt all of you down."

"Good luck with that," said Vivalda with a snort. "You may have a wolf's nose but you can't hunt the way I can. I'm sure you remember that. You know who he reminds me of, Kol?"

"Mikael," said Kol with a nod.

Klaus raised his voice to a shout, jabbing a finger at his own chest. "I'm the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you."

"You will when we have that coffin," said Elijah coldly.

Behind them, the door opened. They turned in shock to see a woman with long golden hair walking toward them, looking just as they remembered her.

"Mother?" whispered Rebekah.

Esther ignored them, walking right up to Klaus, who avoided her gaze. "Look at me," she demanded. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"You're here to kill me," he said meekly.

"Niklaus, you are my son. And I am here to forgive you." She looked up at them. "I want us all to be a family again."