OUTCASTS | THE ORIGINALS

15

"Also, he speaks of you with what is a rare degree—For him, at least—of respect," He continued to explain as he dug his hand into Klaus' chest, "Unlike before, I finally see that you challenge to see himself and others in a new light..." He trailed off, ripping the bloody knife out of Klaus' chest as Klaus gasped and groaned.

"A skill that I shall be counting on very shortly. You see, Niklaus will be weak as he recovers," He explained, glancing between Cadence and Klaus as he used to towel to wipe the blood from his hands, "So watch over him and feed him if you would but slowly, please, and from your wrist."

"I'm not a human blood bag, you know. You have blood bags for a reason," Cadence complained in an annoyed tone.

"We do, but your blood is laced with vervain," He pointed out, causing Cadence's eyes to widen since she didn't know how he knew that, "Marcel tells me you've been drinking vervain, of late, despite being a witch who can't be compelled. You do it to ensure your safety if any vampire dared to try and feed on you. At this given moment, when he feeds on you, it will ensure that it will burn Niklaus, making him ingest it slower. Perhaps you could use the time constructively, persuade him not to murder his baby sister," he explained and Cadence's eyes were wide the entire time he spoke.

"Niklaus..." Elijah called out softly as he leaned closer to his younger brother, "It was not my desire to bring you pain, but I will not see you hurt Rebekah. Now, I fear Sabine may be making a final move against us. I intend to find her and to end this."

"Elijah..." Klaus managed to get out in a weak whisper as Elijah began to walk away, causing the older Mikaelson to turn to him, "You will pay for this."

Elijah stepped away and looked unbothered by Klaus' threat. He exchanged a look with Cadence, just before leaving.

Once Elijah left, Cadence took a deep breath and walked over to Klaus. She rolled up her sleeve, looking down at Klaus. "Well, this is something I never thought I'd become. The personal human blood bag for the infamous Klaus Mikaelson," She commented in a sarcastic tone, "This seems to be becoming a common occurrence, though. Me feeding vampires. The old vampire-hating me would have been very disappointed right about now."

"I'm sorry, you know," Cadence continued to speak to him, letting out a large sigh, "About stabbing you. I only did it to save my sons. My mother had them. She said if I didn't stab you, she'd kill them. Turns out, she never planned to kill them. She wants to use them to make the coven have more power than ever before. No hard feelings, though. When you become a father, you'll understand the situation I was in. You'll do anything to protect your child, anything to keep them safe and away from harm. You will kill for them and if it came down to it, you'd die for them."

Cadence lifted her arm and moved her wrist closer to Klaus. He stared up at her uneasily. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew the hunger too much to bear. He needed to feed.

"Drink already. I don't have all day," Cadence impatiently told him and gripped onto her wrist and lifted his head.

The veins appeared underneath his eyes and without hesitation, he bit into her wrist, causing Cadence to hiss in pain as she gritted her teeth. "Ah! Slow down," She complained, but Klaus didn't listen, causing her to wince and make a face, "Doesn't the vervain burn?"

Klaus groaned, pulling away from her wrist. He laid back down and Cadence wiped her bleeding wrist with a towel. "As you may have yet to realize, Cadence, the line between what brings us pain and what sustains us is far thinner than one imagines."

"Trust me, I know," She remarked, only to frown and turn to Klaus, "Wait, are we talking about my blood or your need to hunt down the people you care about most in this world? Because—"