VII
SEVEN.
deal with the devil.
AFTER MARCEL WAS initiated into the Strix, Eden had found him leaning against a pillar at the bottom of the stairs. Hayley helping to keep him up.
"I must say Marcel. You aimed to impress." She spoke out. Hayley and a drowsy Marcel lifted their heads at the sound of her voice. Hayley was quite protective over Marcel, as she shifted in front of him.
"Oh, no need to worry, darling!" She placed her hand out in surrender, hopping to ease their worry. "I don't bite."
"Well, I do." Hayley responded harshly. Her eyes turned a golden amber ring around her dark eyes. Eden let out a chuckle.
"A hybrid. Of course." Eden responded, she stopped a couple of feet away from the two.
"I'm all for woman empowerment, but I do advise you not to cross me." Eden flared her vampire eyes to Hayley. She knew it was much, but Hayley knew exactly what Eden was capable of. That should be plenty.
"Anyways, i'm not here to fight." Eden admitted honestly, her eyes returning to normal. "I'm here to propose my expertise."
"What will that be, exactly?" Hayley questioned coldly. Struggling to hold up Marcels weight. Eden examined Marcel carefully.
"Thats an awful werewolf bite." Eden mentioned, more to Marcel than Hayley. He lifted his head, trying to stay focus. She bent down to look at Marcel.
"I can help quicker if you like." Eden offered to Marcel.
"We already have a cure, but thanks." Hayley responded for Marcel. She was practically brooding at the fact Eden was there to begin with.
"Klaus, I presume?" Hayley stayed quiet. Eden turned back to Marcel.
"Look," She spoke calmly to Marcel. "You are way out of shape, and you need help now."
"I can help you. Just... trust me." Marcel stared deep into Eden's eyes, trying to find any faint lie-but he didn't. Marcel adjusted himself to sit on the floor. He rolled up his sleeve to reveal the pulsing werewolf bite.
"I'm trusting you." He spoke through heavy breathes. Eden sat close beside Marcel. She placed her hands on top of the hit on his arm. She let her hands glow as the magic from the bit dispersed into her.
Marcel and Hayley watched. Fear, confusion, and amazement all mixed in together. When Eden lifted her hands away, the bite was gone. His arm was returned to it previous estate. He stretched it out, feeling lighter than before.
Eden stood up, offering her hand to help Marcel. He gladly accepted, lifting himself to his own feet. Marcel stared at Eden with furrowed brows. "How did you do that?"
"My specialty, I guess." Eden dismissed. Hayley and Marcel shared a glance with each other.
"Okay, what do you want?" Hayley questioned, her arms folded. Hayley knew she wouldn't have done something from the faint of heart. Not without something in return.
"Nothing really." Eden shrugged carelessly. "I'm just helping a friend in need."
"We don't know each other. We hardly met earlier." Marcel interfered, his eyes narrowing at her.
"Well, you made quite the impression earlier. I felt the necessity to be of some assistance." She pointed out to Marcels now healed arm. It was the truth, there was nothing more to her reasons.
"And in all honestly, you seemed someone worthy of it." They bother oddly stared at her before she cleared her throat.
"I hope you two have a wonderful night." She excused herself before walking away from the pair. As she was leaving, she ran into Tristan who had a smile on his lips.
"I'm glad to have ran into you, Eden." A smile curved onto his lips.
"I didn't know you needed me." She responded. Staring at him skeptically. Something was off, she could sense it from him.
"Well, primarily I wanted to thank you for earlier. Klaus can be a trouble to handle." Tristan smile fell as he spoke of Klaus, Eden chuckled.
"Oh, I know." She reassured Tristan. If anyone knew how to hand Niklaus Mikaelson since the past week, it was Eden.
"Secondly, I was hoping you and I could have a word?" He offered her his arm.
Eden knew this eventually was coming. That she would have to give Tristan a response on her thought about joining the Strix Coven. She had honestly forgotten about it, since everything with Marcel, Lucien and Klaus, the decision to make a choice buried itself deep into the back of her head.
"Of course." Eden accepted, placing her arm around his. Eden was going to accept whatever the hell Tristan wanted, but she wasn't going to let her guard down. Tristan led her up the stairs, following the direction of the same room Marcel's initiation had been held. Eden tried her hardest to contain hope in herself that everything would come out alright, but hope is a hard thing to rely on.
As they walked in, Eden was welcomed by some of the members of the Strix, one of them being Aya. She chuckled at the sight of all the well dress members.
"Is this how you usually handle business?" She questioned, turning to face Tristan. He gave her a polite smile releasing his intertwined arm from Eden. Stepping a few steps away from Eden.
"I recall our discussion earlier this afternoon... We agreed that I'd give you till tonight to respond to our deal." Tristan began with his hand dug into his pockets. His back facing Eden's back.
"I believe it's time for you to respond." Tristan responded coldly. Eden nodded in agreement.
"Under one exception." She pointed with her finger. Tristan raised an eyebrow, eager to see what Eden King has to say for herself.
"I get to discuss this with Dominic." Eden shrugged. "I always discuss important decisions with him."
Tristan smile mischievously. "I was hoping you'd say that." Tristan waved his hand to the back of the room. Out came a man in a suit holding on to Dominic. They pushed him to the front of the room.
Eden examined Dominic carefully head to toe, to reassures he hadn't been hurt. After concluding he was perfectly intact, Eden crossed her arms glaring at Tristan.
"What is this for?" She questioned, indicating at her friend.
"Consider it... insurance that you'll choose the right answer." Eden widen her eyes at the words that came out his mouth.
"Wow, Tristan. You've gone and done it again!" Eden loudly gritted through her teeth. Frustration and pure rage laced in her words.
"Oh, I must advise you not to do anything." Tristan quickly changed the topic at hand. "This room has been spelled. Not allowing any magic to be made."
"Is that so?" She cocked her head to the side. Letting a breathless chuckle out, she turned to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" Tristan called out. Eden stopped at the threshold of the room.
"I'm not dealing with this." She sighed annoyed keeping her back towards Tristan.
"You'd leave your friend here to bear the consequences of your action?" Tristan asked pointing at Dominic. Dominic had to admit at this moment-he wasn't worried. At least not for himself.
Eden was a quick planner, even in distraught situations. She knew what she was doing. Dominic believed she was doing the right thing to save her friend.
Eden turned to face the whole crowd staring at her. She placed her hand on the frame of the door. Leaning against it. "Tristan you once told me that you and I are more alike than I thought."
"That in a deadly situation, we'd both choose ourselves over... pathetic friend" Eden glanced a Dominic, who looked a bit distraught in his position.
"Yet, I always seem to prove you wrong." She sent a mischievous smile over at Tristan, who looked lost in what Eden was referring too. Her hand had emitted the same red glow as earlier.
Tristan watch in horror at what she was doing. In mere seconds, the spell Tristan had planned ahead of time was rendered useless, as it powered Eden even more.
Before any of them could plan to make any move, Eden flew her hands out chanting a spell. They all fell to the floor onto their knees groaning in pain. Their knuckles grew white as they gripped to the side of there head. Dominic rushed beside Eden, pulling on her shoulder.
"We have to go!" He exclaimed, watching as they began to bleed from their noses, eyes, and ears. Some even coughing it out.
"You go!" Eden demanded. Focus on the spell she was still straining out. Dominic stared at her bewildered.
"Dominic, JUST GO!" She roared out, the lights in the room began to flicker on and off. Dominic took it as his warning sign to run.
Eden continued chanting louder and louder. Her feet trembled as the floor below her began to sway. She could feel the powers slowly draining her. When she had enough, she twisted her wrist to the side, causing all the bones to crack. They all feel unconscious on the floor. Except for one.
She watched as Tristan held himself up with his elbows, that trembled under his weight. She headed close to him, bending down. She grabbed ahold of his chin aggressively, staring into his face that had blood dripping down it. He was livid at was Eden did, yet she could've kept on going if she wanted too.
"Next time you want to collect insurance... your dead." She gritted, before twisting his head. He fell face-first to the floor. She stood up, rushing out of the Davilla estate.
Once Eden King returned to her apartment, she found a worried Dominic pacing back and forth in the living room. He turned to the sight of the door opening and a rush of relief washed over him.
"Eden..." He sighed out in relief. He rushed over to her placing his hands on her shoulder. He hovered his eyes her, making sure she was okay. He noticed her skin was slightly paler than usual.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly to his friend. She tiredly shook her head.
"Yeah..." She sighed out tiredly. She placed a hand on her head, wincing. "I think I have a headache though."
Dominic quickly assisted Eden to the couch. She slightly limped as her arm was wrapped around Dominics neck. He softly placed her down as he ran to the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a raspy voice.
"Herbal remedies. Those should help right?" He asked her, Eden let out a chuckle, a smile growing on her face.
"Yes, that should be alright." Eden took of her heels, throwing them on the floor. Dominic quickly came back with a glass of tea. He carefully handed it to Eden, before sitting on the space beside his friend.
She took a sip, letting it slip down her throat. She leaned her head back, with her eyes closed shut.
"Feel better?" Dominic asked. She hummed as she felt the energy restore in her. She lifted her head to look at Dominic.
"Thank you."
"No." Dominic neglected. "Thank you."
"You saved my ass.. once again." Dominic joked, earning a laugh from Eden. He smiled at the sound of it. "You always do."
"It's my specialty." She joked, taking another sip of tea, before abruptly stopping. "Let me help you."
She indicated to the bow tie on his neck. She placed the mug on a side table before uniting the bow tie off Dominic. He thankfully rubbed his neck unbuttoning the first couple of buttons of his shirt.
"Well..." Dominic breathed out. "That went better than expected."
"It definitely could've gone worse." Eden agreed with a nod. They both stared at each other before erupting into a fit of laughter.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
"I say we end her once and for all!" Klaus boomed at the rest of his family standing around him in the study room from earlier in the evening. "You saw how she dare stand against me!"
"Yeah, and she helped Marcel!" Hayley pointed out for Klaus. "That has to mean something good, right?"
"That is extremely unusual looking at her recent behavior." Elijah added on to the comment Hayley had made.
"Look whatever happened between the two of you, she put it aside to help Marcel. I say we work with her." Hayley suggested with a shrug. If Eden King was any form of evil, why would she dare help those with the enemy?
"Yes! She cured a werewolf bite!" Klaus twisted back, using the information to persuade his family. "Meaning she has the means to destroy us all!"
"The Prophecy states one would fall by enemy. There she is!" Klaus yelled to his siblings and mother of child to take into consideration.
"I did some searching..." Freya interfered, stepping forward into the limelight. "She's a siphoner. She can absorb magic and reproduce it. Like your bite."
"See? She can help us, Klaus!" Hayley indicated to the information Freya shared with the group.
"She is with the enemy! If we recruit her, whose to say she won't report back to those who aim to harm us."
"Oh must you alway be so paranoid?!" Hayley yelled in return.
"I'm considering the safety of this family!"
"Oh, enough you two!" Freya yelled at both of them. They both collectively stood in silence. She let out an annoyed sighed.
"Whatever we do, we have to be quick. If what Elijah said was right, there is a possibility she is already working with Tristan." Freya pointed out to the others hoping they'd redirect their attention to the more important matters at hand.
"Perhaps that why she saved Marcel. To keep Tristans loyal servants alive." Klaus pointed out, causing Hayley to go deep in thought.
"Look," Hayley directed the attention to her. "Let's just find a way to make her trust us. Make her work alongside us."
"Perhaps she can help us get ride of your sires and be done with them." Hayley suggested to the whole group. They each exchange appointed looks. All of them thinking different thing.
"I agree with Hayley." Elijah spoke up. "Brother, I think it's time we change our form of perceiving Eden."
"Oh, so we mention her by name now?!" Klaus questioned between the other three spread in front of him.
"I'll see to it myself whether or not she worthy." Klaus spoke before heading out of the study room. If he had to kill Eden King to keep his family safe, so be it.
A/N: this chapter was... *chefs kiss*
eden being a badass and destroying people are my favorite chapter to write. i hope you enjoyed it, because I REALLY DID.
thank you.
-mina<33