Esmeray did her best to keep up with her training.
Despite the lack of hybrids, she managed to find people to practice with, and it was helping her build up her strength.
It had already been several days since Elijah had awoken, but he hadn't chosen to leave the mansion. Esmeray suspected he was planning what he wanted to do in the outside world.
She, of course, had gone out on runs because it was safer in Mystic Falls. She popped into the Salvatore House to see Damon, which usually ended in a very passionate makeout sessions that made her feel surprisingly dissatisfied. She'd taken her anger out on Alaric's punching bag, because she feared what it meant.
Klaus's comment had left her feeling almost lightheaded. She'd received compliments before; this was nothing new. But from him, it seemed to mean more. Was it because she knew that he'd met many women before, and if he told her she was beautiful, he surely meant it? Was it because her inner wolf was attracted to him and sought out his approval, which meant that when he told her she was wonderful, she ought to believe him? She didn't want to think of it at all, aside from her gratitude, because thinking of it kept making her feel flustered. He made her heart skip several beats at once, and she worried he'd pick up on it if she wasn't careful.
"Are you intending to take a break from all the punching, love?" inquird Klaus the following morning when he found her downing a jar of peanut butter alongside apple slices. "It's the first time I haven't heard you all huffy and puffy at this hour in days. It's as if you're training with the intention of slaughtering three little pigs."
Esmeray snorted, covering her mouth so peanut butter wouldn't fly out of her nose. That would be embarrassing. "I just thought to rest, since I heard Elijah leave earlier," she explained. "I heard him telling the servants to start preparing a fancy dinner. What's that about?"
Klaus rolled his eyes and came to stand beside her, taking one of the apples from her. "As it turns out, those pesky Salvatore brothers would like to dine with us. I'm surprised your boyfriend didn't tell you."
Esmeray gritted her teeth. "He's not my boyfriend yet, Klaus."
"At any rate, it's a good thing you're here. I have chores for you." He licked his thumb free of peanut butter, staring at her so intently that she grew flustered and looked away before clearing her throat. "What task do I have on my plate now?" she asked.
He leaned onto the counter. "The fourth coffin. I assume you know what's in it?"
"Your mother's dead body. But... I thought you got the coffins back?"
"Not all of them. Damon Salvatore managed to keep the last one. I'm, once again, surprised this beau of yours didn't inform you of it."
"I've been living here, we haven't had much chance to gossip about you," she said with a cheeky smile.
"The point is, they have the coffin, and I want it. No doubt, they seek to open it. Tonight, I expect they'll come to make a deal. In the meantime, I want you to do a spell to try and find the coffin. If you can't, you will attend dinner to see how things go. If the coffin is not going to be returned to me by tonight, you will need to speak with Damon to retrieve it for me."
"Look, honestly, Klaus, this is between you and Damon. I don't want to be put in the middle of that. I'll do a spell and I'll go to this dinner, but I'm not going to go and grill him about its whereabouts because honestly, I don't give a damn about Esther."
He laughed. "While you may not care about my mother's body, you must understand... it matters to me to have my family together. I do not wish for Damon to open that coffin."
"Okay, so I'll try to get it before they open it. But I don't want you hurting Damon, understood?"
Klaus smirked. "Not to worry, love, you'll still have your horse after tonight."
"I'm surprised all I had to do was ask nicely," she said hotly, her cheeks red. "I'd have thought you'd be making comments about replacing him."
"Oh, I can certainly make comments if you wish to hear them. But I don't suppose Damon will be too chuffed if I go into more details about when you—"
She flicked her hand, sending him stumbling back, out of the kitchen. He recovered quickly, catching her by surprise by seizing her wrists and yanking them behind her back as he pressed her face first into the wall, restricting any movement. "Now, now, love," he growled in her ear, hearing her heart rate accelerate instantly. "Mind your manners. I won't have you misbehaving at dinner tonight."
"Maybe you should mind your manners!" she shot back, trying to get him off of her, but it was all futile. "Stop talking about—"
"About what?" he said innocently, moving his hips forward to trap hers, and making her squeak, her mind drifting off to a scenario that she never wanted to speak about out loud. "I can sense the time is drawing near, again. He'll be at your beck and call the minute you feel it, won't he? I just wonder if he satisfies you enough. If he really knows how to bring you to the brink of unrestrained pleasure..."
"Klaus, you're pushing your luck," she said weakly, not wanting to admit that his statement was making more butterflies leap in her stomach. "I'll do the spell for you, I'll go to dinner, just please..."
As soon as he stepped back, she used her wolf speed to get back to her room, panting heavily and running straight to the shower to turn it on so he wouldn't hear her breathing so erratically. Why was her mind wandering to all the places that it only went to with Damon? Why was she desiring Klaus when she wasn't even in heat? She imagined those strong, probably very skilled hands roaming her body, she imagined him holding her to his chest and biting softly into her neck, feeding on her and letting her feel like she was floating, she imagined him caressing her thighs and praising her in a low growl, directly over her ear...
She knew what she was missing— Klaus's touch. She forced the thoughts aside, and got to work on her Locator Spell, though her skin tingled. As expected, there was no locating that last coffin. The spell used to block her wasn't as strong as before, but she knew some witches were certainly tampering with it and keeping her from finding it.
"Your mother is MIA," Esmeray announced in the afternoon after several tries. "I expect they recruited Bonnie's help."
Klaus sighed in annoyance. "Just perfect." He waved at one of the rooms behind them. "Go on, I've had the servants lay out dresses for you to wear. Pick one and get dressed, the Salvatores will be here soon enough."
She'd selected a simple black evening gown, and had adjusted the bottom magically so that she could wear sandals with it. Her hair was braided and pinned around her head like a crown, and she flexed her fingers several times before stepping out at the sound of the doorbell, hoping her magic would be at bay.
By the time she reached the entrance hall, compelled servants in gold shirts and black skirts had prepared a table for five right in the living room beside the main entrance. Elijah had fixed his hair, cutting it and smoothing it back. Klaus noticed that Esmeray hardly cast him a second look as he opened the door for the Salvatores.
Klaus walked up to them, looking pleased. "Damon, Stefan," he greeted. "Elijah tells me you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?"
"It's better to indulge him," Elijah advised them as he walked over to one of the chairs at the table. Esmeray took the seat beside Damon, which gave her a good view of Stefan, who was making all sorts of faces that incited her internal laughter.
Stefan gazed over at the food set up on the table. "I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. In fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out."
Klaus chuckled and came to sit on the other side of Esmeray, who scooted her chair closer to Damon. "Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours."
The arrangement was comfortable enough, and the servants helped them put food on their plates before coming around to serve them wine. They filled Esmeray's cup to the brim, but she pushed it toward Damon, who smirked and set it aside for himself, much to Klaus's dismay.
"Thank you, love," said Damon, likely imitating Klaus as his own glass was filled, meaning he now had double the wine as the others.
"You've lost your appetite," observed Klaus when he saw that Stefan was the only one who wasn't eating. Even Esmeray was eating silently, her eyes scanning the four faces around her for any signs of an oncoming altercation.
"Eat," beckoned Damon, facing his younger brother sternly. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."
Stefan reluctantly began to eat. "That's the spirit," praised Klaus. "Isn't it nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?"
"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier," said Damon, casting Elijah a playful wink and making Elijah purse his lips. At this, Esmeray giggled, finding it amusing because to her, it seemed like they were subtly flirting, and they all stopped to look at her, which made her cheeks turn red.
"Threesome," said Damon in a sing-song voice, causing her to kick him under the table.
"She's in a foul mood of late," taunted Klaus. "Absolutely no patience..." He cleared his throat, eager to return to the subject. He despised seeing Damon and Esmeray this close to one another. "Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through."
"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right?" mentioned Stefan in a snarky tone. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."
Klaus tensed visibly. "If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother... I've already come clean to Elijah."
Damon glared at his brother as if asking him why he thought that was the right thing to say. "Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert."
Esmeray giggled again, stifling it in her napkin, and Damon wiggled his eyebrows at her, enjoying the sound of her laughter. Stefan ignored her. "We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."
Klaus grinned, but Damon motioned for Stefan to tone it down. "I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself."
Esmeray had to mask this next giggle as a cough, finding that Klaus looked upset with how she was acting. He had no problem admitting that he could be possessive. In that moment, he'd have liked to whisk her away to another location, away from the three other men at the table.
"Stefan," said Elijah, keeping his brother from reprimanding the girl between them. "Where is the lovely Elena tonight?"
Clearly, Stefan and Elena were still having some complications, but it didn't seem as though Damon was part of it, because for once, Stefan didn't make any comments. Damon simply cleared his throat. "You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile."
"You're probably right," agreed the Original hybrid, though he was still laughing. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger, still so strong." He faced Elijah. "What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"
Elijah laughed uncomfortably. "Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"
"Well," said Klaus, "given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line."
"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah," said Damon, holding up his glass and taking a sip of his wine. "Please, do tell."
Elijah began to speak, "When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia. She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus."
Klaus grinned. "I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much..."
"Wait a minute," said Stefan, holding his hands up. "So you both loved the same girl?"
"Our mother was a very powerful witch," continued Elijah, assenting. "She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Niklaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I...grew estranged. Harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we, brother?"
"But in the end," noted Klaus, "we realized the sacred bond of family."
"Family above all," said Elijah, causing his brother to imitate him in raising their glasses. "Family above all," agreed Klaus. The two clinked their glasses together and drank.
There was a moment of silence, and it seemed that everyone thought to look at Esmeray, who had remained fairly silent up to that point. "I'm sorry," said Stefan a bit loudly, his eyes darting around at the faces of the other three males. "But I didn't come here to watch you all lust over the only woman at the table, so if this is about to turn into some twisted foursome, I'll just head on home."
Esmeray almost immediately started choking on her food, and Damon clapped her in the back as Klaus laughed, all while Elijah looked at them uncomfortably. "Yes, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" he said in a strained voice.
"That's very simple," Damon said once he ensured Esmeray wasn't dying. "Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, Esmeray, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges."
"The deal sounds fair, brother," said Elijah.
"I don't think you understand," said Klaus, not agreeing. "Elena's doppelgänger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind. Even if Esmeray can multiply her blood, I will inevitably need more of it." He stood and began to pace the room, thinking aloud. "Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then?" He pointed between the brothers. "How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies, caught between your feuding, which might not end even with Esmeray in the picture? You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is... the two of you."
Damon cast him a weak smile, ignoring as the servants cleared their plates from in front of them. He looked over at Stefan. "I'm gonna get some air." He got up and left, and Elijah placed his hand on the table before getting up as well. "Let me deal with this," he told his brother.
Klaus smirked, looking between Esmeray and Stefan. "All this talk has made me thirsty." He looked over at one of the servants, and she walked over to him. Klaus brushed her hair back, gazing beadily at Stefan. "What do you say Stefan? Can I interest you in a little after-dinner drink?" He bit into the woman's neck, beginning to feed, holding onto the woman tightly.
It was clear that Stefan was uncomfortable. Esmeray could see that it was taking every ounce of self control in his body to not launch forward and feed from the woman.
"Delicious," said Klaus tauntingly. "Aged to perfection..." He wiped his mouth and came to lean on the back his chair.
Stefan got to his feet, walking toward Klaus. "Well, Klaus, I'd have thought you would be more informed about this situation, seeing as you manipulated Esmeray to live here with you. Damon's going to back off of Elena, little by little. I guess... the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother."
"Oh no," said Klaus seriously. "You're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame."
They looked up as Damon and Elijah re-entered the room. "What do you say, Klaus?" asked the younger vampire. "It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."
"Okay," said Klaus, sitting back down and looking up at them smugly. "I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot, and to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?"
Damon snorted. "Matt Donovan? Really?"
Klaus smirked and held out his arms. "Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."
"And continue the Petrova bloodline," muttered Stefan. "Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right, Klaus?"
"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being," said the Original hybrid. "See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her. Esmeray, love, is it not possible for you to cast a Protection Spell to ensure no harm comes to her again?"
The werewitch nodded. "It is possible," she admitted.
Klaus was pleased with her answer, and stood, going toward the fireplace and leaning onto it as he looked around at the others. "So, what do you say, Stefan, hmm? Do we have a deal?"
Stefan walked over to Klaus as Damon cast him an incredulous look. Klaus held out his hand to be shaken, and Stefan took it, without moving. "Nice try, Klaus," he told him lowly. "But no deal."
At this, Klaus immediately became angered. He twisted Stefan's arm so hard that he broke it, and kicked into his leg, snapping his femur, before shoving Stefan's hand into the fire and making him yell out in pain. Damon and Esmeray both made to help, but Elijah shoved them into the wall, squashing Esmeray behind Damon and making her squeak in discomfort.
"What are you doing?" hissed Damon as Elijah kept them both unable to aid Stefan. "STOP!"
"Now, bring me my coffin before I burn him alive!" roared Klaus, forcing Stefan's arm to continue burning.
Elijah got off, and Damon sneered, walking off to the side. "I'll get it."
"Go with him, brother," said Klaus, nodding to Elijah. "You keep him honest, and when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family. Take the witch with you."
Elijah yanked Esmeray out with him, and made to leave the room, but he grabbed onto Damon and sped them all to the room with the coffins, where the remaining three Mikaelson siblings resided beside each other.
"Undagger them," he told Damon quietly as he flipped the lid of the nearest coffin, which belonged to Kol. He yanked the dagger out, taking advantage of the fact that Stefan was still yelling in pain. Damon immediately flipped the lids off the other two coffins, undaggering Rebekah and Finn.
Elijah grabbed Esmeray by the shoulders and put her facing his siblings. "Wake them up," he commanded, and she didn't think to object. "A simple spell. Rouse them as quickly as you can."
Though nervous, she held her hands out. She drew a deep breath and concentrated, ignoring all the noise and focusing on just letting out one blow of air, her fingers tilting upward as she breathed life back into them, reversing their desiccation as rapidly as possible.
Within seconds, the three siblings sat up straight. "Quiet," said Elijah, motioning for all of them to be still. Esmeray was surprised they listened. With ease, they stepped out of their coffins. Rebekah reached for the dagger Damon had pulled out of her, casting him a crude look. Kol stepped forward, dressed in a vest and fancy suit, though Esmeray noticed it looked a bit different to the suits from this current time period. She recalled Klaus had daggered him in 1914. Finn was just as tall, and his hair was longer, the green tunic he wore was much more familiar to Esmeray— closer to the time she had lived in before.
"It should come to no surprise for any of you to learn that Niklaus killed our mother," said Elijah as one of the compelled servants walked up with a platter, looking confused. He motioned for Damon to place the two daggers upon it, Stefan's screams still masking their conversation. "I haven't the time to explain yet, but you will be pleased to know that Mikael is dead and we are safer than we have ever been. Come with me. We're going to let Niklaus know that you have been awakened."
It was unnerving how quiet the siblings were in those first moments. Esmeray saw them all looking at her curiously, the two brothers especially not knowing who she was. Elijah led the way back, and they heard Stefan's yells cease, as though Klaus had pulled him out of the fire.
"You really have given up, haven't you?" snarled Klaus from the living room. "Where's the fight? Where's the Ripper?" He faltered at the sight of Elijah, Esmeray, and Damon making their way back into the field of view, the compelled servant holding the platter of daggers, though she had covered it with a small cloth. "Elijah," said the hybrid. "Why haven't you left?"
"Where are your manners, brother?" asked his older brother. "We forgot dessert." He slipped the cloth off the platter, and the sight of the daggers made Klaus go rigid.
"What have you done?" he said darkly.
"What have you done?" repeated Elijah. "You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."
The siblings chose this moment to enter the room. Kol was the first to walk up, making Klaus stagger back in shock. "Kol," he said shakily, holding his hands in surrender and looking over at the menacing look on his younger brother's face.
"Long time, brother," said Kol lowly. Klaus continued to back away, but Finn sped forward, swiping one of the daggers and holding it up threateningly. "Finn, don't!" yelled Klaus, but Finn stabbed him through the hand, making him yell out in pain. The hybrid tried to run through the back exit, but Rebekah awaited him. "Rebekah!" he pleaded, though she ignored him and simply stabbed him deep in the side with the dagger she'd taken from Damon.
"This is for our mother," she sneered, pushing him back into Kol, who yanked his arms behind his back.
"You're free to go," said Elijah, looking at the Salvatore brothers and Esmeray. "This is family business."
Damon quickly led Esmeray away before she could see the pleading look Klaus was sending her way, wanting her to help him. She felt a painful churning in her stomach, knowing she was leaving him alone with siblings who wanted to harm him, but she didn't think to intervene.
"Was it right to leave him with them?" she said quietly as Damon drove them back to the Salvatore House. "I just... I saw his memories. They're going to be really cruel..."
"Don't tell me you care," said Stefan blankly from the front seat. "They can't even kill him."
She looked back at the mansion, frowning to herself. "Maybe they can't, but I still worry about him..."