WAR OF HEARTS ↠ KOL MIKAELSON

2:04

"Rest assured love, no one will ever be able to take me away from you."

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Rhea was on high alert as soon as she opened her eyes, noticing the unfamiliar surroundings, it was a large, elegant room but she still had no clue where she was.

Sitting up, she scanned her surroundings, finding Marcel passed out on the floor not far from her— she crawled over to him, checking for any sign of serious injuries, when she didn't find any, however, she used her magic to revive him. She could tell he had been knocked out with a toxin, one that was all too familiar.

"I should've guessed it was you." She said as she heard the culprit enter the room, standing up, she faced them, "I'm going to give you ten seconds to tell me what the hell I'm doing here, Aya, or I'm going to rip your pathetic heart from your chest."

"Now, now, Rhea, since when were you so aggressive?" Aya asked with that smirk that Rhea so desperately wanted to permanently remove from her face.

Marcel awoke then, he groggily sat up, wiping the dried up blood from his face, "Ugh, what the hell did you do to me?" He paused, noticing Rhea, "And what the hell is she doing here?"

Aya held out her hand to Marcel, showing him the large ring on her right hand, "Scratched you with a toxin of my own devising. Kicks like a mule, doesn't it?"

She pulls out a blood bag from behind her back, tossing to Marcel who immediately dug into it.

"Here. This should help. Plenty more where that came from, my friends and I could help with your daylight right situation, as well." Marcel looked up at the older vampire warily.

"Okay, now you have my attention." He told her as he stood up, Rhea took a step closer to Marcel, laughing bitterly.

"Marcel, I can make your daylight rings if it means you stay well away from these lunatics." Marcel shook his head, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Of course, you know each other."

Aya gave Rhea a calculating glare before turning back to Marcel, "Marcel Gerard. You were turned by an original, yet made yourself in your own image. You built a vampire community from ash, and this city thrived under your rule. Let us help you return New Orleans to what it should be, with you as its king."

"A great sales pitch, really Aya." Rhea deadpanned, praying that Marcel wouldn't fall for her enticing offer.

Marcel, clapped his hands in mock applause, something that made Rhea sigh in relief, "Just one thing— who's 'us'?"

"The oldest society of vampires this world has ever known. We are called The Strix." Aya replied proudly.

Rhea leaned over to Marcel, mock whispering, "They think they're all that, but they're just a bunch of old ass vampires with way too much time on their hands."

Aya was about to bite back, before Elijah appeared in the doorway, "Quite the prestigious organisation! Responsible for countless wars, numerous plagues, assassinations.." He trailed off, Aya froze at the sound of his voice— refusing to turn to her sire— something that made Rhea smirk.

"You have to break rules if you want to build a new world." She replied haughtily, finally turning to face him, "Hello, Elijah. It's been a while."

Marcel rolled his eyes in exasperation, "And you two know each other as well, should I even be surprised?"

Rhea chuckled, "Oh Marcellus, Elijah and Aya know each other a little differently.." She trailed off, Elijah continued on from her, uttering one word that Marcel wasn't even surprised at.

"..Intimately." And then he vamp sped towards Aya, dipping her as if they were in the middle of a formal dance, before plunging his hand into her and chest and clutching her heart.

"Well that took an unexpected turn." Rhea commentated, taking a seat on the outskirts of the room.

Aya cried out in pain, but that didn't bother Elijah who looked unamused, "Whatever you're doing here, I know you're not alone."

A dozen vampires entered the room, followed by Tristan, someone that Rhea hadn't seen in a long time.

"Let her go, Elijah. No need for this to become vulgar." Elijah rolled his eyes, smirking while Aya continued to gasp in his arms.

Rhea, who had taken an interest in her nails, said, "And there he is."

"Tristan." Elijah said, the vampire only grinned smugly at his sire.

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Marcel stood back to back with Elijah, seeming like he was gearing up for a fight, as the members of the Strix closed in on them.

"You go left, I go right?" He questioned Elijah who only looked suspicious at the Strix's intentions with Marcel.

"Sit down Marcel, you wouldn't stand a chance." Rhea paused, standing up to take a place next to Marcel, "Me, however. I will love the feeling of magically pulling all of their hearts out simultaneously." She threatened, some of the Strix looked taken back by her statement.

Elijah finally yanked his hand out of Aya's chest, who looked relieved that her sire had in fact, left her with a heart.

"Why don't you stay where I can see you both?" Both Rhea and Marcel looked at the Mikaelson angrily; the former rolled her eyes before looking to the person she hadn't acknowledged since they entered the room.

"What am I doing here, Tristan? I'm getting really sick of people thinking they can just kidnap me every five minutes." She asked.

He only smirked at the witch, something that she found attractive once upon a time, now she knew there was nothing good to come of it.

"Why must you be so hostile, Rhea? Is it so bad I wanted to see my wife after say, nine hundred-ish years?"

And only a second later, did Rhea's hand connect with Tristan's face, the loud slap echoed throughout the entire room.

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