THE RISING VAMPIRE, the originals¹

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Rebekah scoffed. "Oh, please, Esme. He loves you. He's in love with you! His love for you has never died. He'll listen to you. Will you help us or not? Putting aside our differences for today, please." She pleaded for the Browne's help knowing she was the best chance to put Klaus at ease.

"Okay." Esme caved in. "Fine. I'll try."

Rebekah had smiled in relief. "Thank you."

Esme had been left alone to reach for her cellphone sitting on the bedside table with hope that Klaus was going to answer her phone call for them to have a moment in time to talk and hopefully get her free of Freya's boundary spell. The brunette sighed heavily as she dialled Klaus' number into her phone, she hadn't been hesitant, she had been rather eager as she placed her phone gently against her ear before her eyes fluttered close while listening to the continuous ring. It rang and rang and rang. "Come on, Nik--" She been left straight to voicemail, no doubt he was staring at her call and not bothering to answer but it didn't stop her from leaving a message after the tone. "Nik. I know you've just watched your phone ring and not answer...I need you to come home. I need you not to plot against your siblings because...though they played into your worst fear they thought they were doing what was for the best. They think they're doing that with me by spelling me to my room. I'm sorry that things have turned out the way it has but...but no matter what, always and forever. You know that together we are capable of defeating Dahlia than working alone. Come home, fight with your family for your family, for Hope and Isaac."

❦

The church bell tolled marking yet another hour that Esme had been trapped in her bedroom and where she had been aware of the plan that begun to end Dahlia. She heard the discussion all through the house, waiting to fool the woman to be trapped with a barrier crafted by Freya with use of Klaus' paintings. In the centre of the compound, Freya held onto a doll, transforming into Hope Mikaelson, mimicking the sight of the baby and in the cradle was Isaac, mimicked version of him, that hopefully was to fool Dahlia to think that it'd be easy. Rebekah was upstairs, making sure that Hope and Isaac's figures would melt away as she chanted the spell that kept them human and Elijah was prepared to drive his father's hunting knife into Dahlia as soon as she stuck between paintings.

Esme felt herself putting faith into those who locked her up as she paced back forth within her room waiting for the expected arrival of Dahlia's and the tune that came from the tolling bell echoed throughout New Orleans. The Browne had never met Dahlia's true form, and she guessed she wasn't going to given that she was holed up in her room only able to eavesdrop due to her vampire hearing. Her fist had clenched when she heard the hasty footsteps echoing through the compound which marked the arrival of the aunt seeking power.

Dahlia felt that her eyes deceived her as she stood at the entry way of the compound when she spotted Freya standing in the centre of the compound, cradling Hope within her arms as Isaac laid in the cradle behind her, staring directly at the visitor with thought of taking him away. The woman wasn't expecting for Freya to be standing before her, thinking that as Freya had connected with family she had dreamt off from when she was a little girl she would never betray them and that her loyalty would side with them. But to Dahlia it looked like Freya was prepared to hand over the children who were to save the family's lives. "I came all this way to collect what is owed to me and whom should I find?"

"Tante, please listen." Freya pleaded as she swayed back and forth on her feet. "I betrayed my siblings so I could procure these children." Dahlia had begun to stalk towards her niece with thought that she was near to the chance of having the power handed to her. "I offer them to you now and in exchange, I only ask that you release me from my obligation to you."