chapter nine.
"Alright, the kids are being held in the City of the Dead until we bring them through the Quarter to St. Anne's Church. Now, meanwhile, Vincent is holding a meeting with a few humans in the know. The ones who have been...reluctant to fall in line with his new leadership." Aiden explained to them.
"He's going to use the children to kill any opposition." Elijah stated as he connected the dots.
Aiden nodded his head, "Activate their curse, send a message to anyone who's thinking about going against him. It's two birds, one... bloodbath."
Marcel nodded, "Okay, so, we'll hit them while the kids are on the move."
"Aiden, make certain you and Oliver escort the children." Elijah commanded. "We'll handle the rest."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait - Esther and her psycho son are already giving me the stink eye. If these kids go missing on my watch, I'm as good as dead." Oliver said with a shake of his head.
There was a lot that he was willing to do, a lot that he's already tried to do, but he didn't want to die.
"You wanted to help your people and make amends for the past." Elijah reminded him. "This is your chance."
"Enough of that." Matthias told him with a shake of his head. "I can protect you Oliver."
Oliver looked confused but Matthias motioned him over, Oliver walked over to him, and Matthias placed his hands on either side of his head. Matthias took a breath before chanting in an unfamiliar language and everyone watched intrigued. Oliver let out a small grunt before finally the spell was over and Matthias was giving him a small smile.
"It's the same spell that Katherine and Hayley have on, you'll be fine." Matthias promised.
"Wait, what!?" Katherine questioned while Hayley looked just as shocked.
"We can't dilly dally, we got kids to save." Matthias told them before walking out of the room.
Katherine went to follow but Elijah caught her arm, she looked at him and noticed the pleading look in his eyes, but she only shook her head at him and pulled away. Elijah watched defeatedly as she ran after Matthias, Hayley shot him a look before the others left as well, leaving him to ponder what the fuck he was going to do now.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
The All Hallows Eve party was still raging on in the streets of the Quarter. Everyone was in costumes as Aiden, Oliver, and the other werewolves walk the werewolf children toward St. Anne's Church. Gia held a drink in her hand and pretends to drunkenly run into one of the werewolves.
"Watch it." He yelled at her over the music.
Gia shoved him backwards as hard as she could without using her vampire strength and before he could retaliate, Marcel appeared behind him and snapped his neck. Marcel met Aiden's gaze before he and Gia ran off, allowing Aiden to enact his plan.
"You, take the kids." He shouted at Oliver, "Split up and find them!" Aiden ordered the other wolves.
Oliver took a moment to make sure they were all gone before looking at the kids. "Listen up, listen up. We gotta go, don't ask questions. Just move! Come on!" He told them before leading them to the rendezvous point.
After getting the kids to where they needed to be, Oliver went to his next location. He walked into the parking garage and found Matthias, Katherine, and Elijah all waiting.
"Where are they?" Elijah asked him.
"They should be right behind me." He said as he stopped in place. "Any minute now."
There's a clanking noise and Matthias perks up at the sound, he's been itching to get into a fight recently.
"Here we go." Oliver muttered. "About time."
The four of them are then surrounded by wolves and Matthias has to remind himself that he promised Hayley not to kill any because she believes that they're worth saving.
"Don't bother trying to run. We've got you surrounded." One wolf spoke up.
Oliver let out a laugh, "What, you don't think that we would be dumb enough to bring 'em here, do you?"
"Yes, I so do apologize for any inconvenience. The little ones you seek are elsewhere." He gave him a faux smile. "Which, I suppose, leaves you here with us."
"You're the ones that don't seem to understand. We're not looking for the kids. The witch wants you." The wolf told Elijah before motioning towards Matthias and Katherine. "Not them, you."
"You listen to me very carefully." Elijah sighed while taking off his jacket. "I told a good friend that I'd do my very best to spare the lives of her people. You leave right now? I will honor that. Stay, and the situation becomes irrefutably awkward." The wolf makes his decision when he gets into a defensive stance. Elijah tilts his head, "Very well." He looked to Oliver. "You should probably leave."
"Either I'm in, or I'm out, right?" Oliver asked while looking around and Elijah nods before the two stand back-to-back.
"Oh, this is going to be fun." Matthias smirked and Katherine let out a giggle as her face vamped out.
Taking off before Elijah and Oliver, Katherine and Matthias got messy fast.
Matthias and a wolf traded blows before Matthias used his magic to rip out his heart, before he spun around and snapped the neck of another wolf trying to attack from behind. Katherine ripped the arms off of a wolf, causing blood to splatter everywhere and on herself before she pushed him forward and left him to die in agony.
Clothes were ripped and there was so much blood around and on them, but Katherine and Matthias were disappointed that it was now over.
"Well, I guess that's all they got." Oliver said with a pant, he didn't have a scratch on him thanks to Matthias' spell.
Elijah looked around. "So, it would seem."
Suddenly Elijah and Matthias let out a shout of pain and went onto their knees causing Katherine to still.
"Actually, I am just getting started." Finn spoke up as he approached his brothers.
Matthias didn't miss the apologetic look sent his way, but he couldn't about it when Finn balled his hand into a fist causing the two to cry out in agony. Oliver lunged for Finn, but Finn used his magic to send Oliver backwards into a car.
Elijah took that moment to rush at Finn, while Katherine quickly left the garage after Matthias shot her a look. Shehad promised him that she would run if he told her to and he was doing thatnow, she hated leaving Oliver behind as well, but the male told her not to worryabout him.
Well, she was worried now.
Elijah held Finn in a choke hold against a car. "Perhaps your next body will last longer than this one, brother."
"Elijah!" Matthias shouted but his neck was suddenly snapped, and his body fell to floor.
Elijah didn't get a chance to snap Finn's neck before there was a stake in his chest. Oliver woke from the blow he took and watched in horror as Esther, in Lenore's body, used her magic to twist the stake around until Elijah fell to the ground unconscious.
She looked at Matthias in pity and slight wonder. "I'm not here for you this time, but you'll come in handy to get what I want."
Finn held an anxious look when Esther instructed him to bring both brothers back, this wasn't a part of the plan. His mother had just broken a promise and a fraction of the hold she had on Finn, shattered as well.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
Katherine was thankful when Oliver woke up, the two then made their way over to Marcel's loft.
"Why didn't you leave me?" Oliver asked her with a frown.
"Because they would've killed you." Katherine told him. "You've helped up, you've proven yourself, you don't need to die."
"I would deserve it though." Oliver told her with a groan. "I mean, after everything I've done and got the wolves involved with. It's my fault."
"You were doing what you thought was right." Katherine told him truthfully. "Take it from someone who's only done what's best for her, you did what you had to do to survive and that's all anyone can do."
Katherine then heard Hayley's voice as they reached Marcel's building. "There's a life lesson for you, baby vamp. It always gets worse before it gets better."
Hayley grabbed a drink and walked over to Gia. Hayley held out the drink to Gia and she took it from her, but she still looked worried.
"We left Elijah out there." Gia said.
Katherine felt her jaw clench as she and Oliver entered the building and Hayley spoke. "Look, I used to worry about a lot of things where Elijah's concerned. But trust me, he can take care of himself." Hayley gave Gia a small smile that she returned.
"Plus, he has me to look out for him." Katherine spoke up and Hayley gasped as she rushed over to help Oliver. "But right now, I'm more worried about what happened tonight."
"What happened?" Marcel asked her while looking her over.
She gave him a small smile, "I'm fine. Sorry, Hayley, those wolves gave us no choice."
"It's fine." She told her as she looked over Oliver. "Where's Matthias and Elijah?"
Katherine bit her lip as she looked at Marcel worriedly, "That's the thing, it was a trap." She told them and Marcel's heart sunk. "It was all to get Elijah and Matthias made me promise to run so I did but his mother and Finn.." She took a breath, and they could see that she was worried. "They have them."