WAR OF HEARTS ↠ KOL MIKAELSON

2:06

He took a step towards her, "Rhea, you're not thinking this through, love. Do you really want to start a war with the Strix?"

Her expression didn't waver and she ignored his question, "I have to go, Tristan is waiting for me to arrive." She went to walk away but paused in her step, turning to Klaus, "Don't give me that look of pity, it doesn't suit you."

And with that, she was gone.

"That could become a problem." Klaus commented, "Rhea is entirely out of control, surely I'm not the only one who noticed?"

Elijah nodded, agreeing with his brother, "She won't kill Tristan, even its the tiniest part of her, somewhere deep down, she cares about Tristan. And he's still as completely besotted with her as ever. I doubt he arranged for Ares to be killed."

Klaus thought to himself for a moment, "Aya?"

Elijah internally winced at the mention of his ex-lover, but thought it possible, "You may be correct, she never particularly favoured Rhea, or Ares."

"Well, I'm definitely going tonight. If not for the psychic witch, then for Rhea." Hayley told the two men, who both found it strange, Hayley's newfound protection over the witch was something different entirely.

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"Rhea." Tristan met her at the front door, before she could even knock. She had her dress with her, she had decided not to put it on yet.

They stepped into The Strix headquarters, the whole place had been transformed, if it didn't scream overrated elegance and stuck up ass-holes before, it certainly did now.

People were bustling around, anxious to get the place ready for nightfall, Tristan always had a particular taste for perfect things. Whether that be something as simple as a party.

"I'm going to need somewhere to get changed." She informed Tristan who had seemed deep in thought, broken out of it when she spoke— his eyes didn't leave hers then, though. She tried not to squirm under his piercing gaze, but she knew, she had to be in control for this to work.

"I'll take you to my room." He put his hand on the small of her back, something she would've usually recoiled from and told him to keep his hands to himself— but she was so entirely focused on the plan, she let it slide.

He led her to his room, which was quite blatantly the best room in the large mansion— nothing she didn't expect. She had put her plan in motion, putting a silencing spell on the room for extra precautions.

Tristan took the dress from her and laid it on the bed, "I was surprised when you said you would be coming to the party, let alone coming earlier."

Rhea didn't meet his eyes, "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

"I missed you." His words seemed to fill the room, making the atmosphere suddenly a lot more tense. Rhea knew what she had to do, if she was going to get him in a position where she could overpower him, she had to seduce him.

"Tristan—" she started, he cut her off.

"I know, it's always going to be Kol, you have told me quite a few times, Rhea." His voice was soft, not the usual calculating, menacing tone of the leader of The Strix, "But I cannot help but think to myself sometimes, if the Mikaelsons hadn't come to Marseilles, would it have been me?"