Book: Kindred Spirits
Chapter 59 (1x09)
Word Count: 941
Klaus had set up a dinner table in the courtyard to celebrate his return to leadership over New Orleans. The vampire army, including Marcel and his closest friends, are seated around the table, and Klaus and Cassidy were seated at each end. Klaus called for everyone's attention to give a speech by tapping his glass with his fork.
"Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift: immortality. After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and its sorrows do diminish with time. But, as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine." Klaus gestured toward a group of waiters and waitresses to have them join them at the table, one for each guest. "Insatiable need, exquisite pain..." The servants slit their wrists with knives, filling the cups with blood for the vampires. "Our victories, and our defeats." Klaus raised his glass in a toast to the others. "To my city, my home again. May the blood never cease to flow--"
"--and the party never end!" Marcel finished the sentence with a smile, raising his glass.
"To New Orleans!"
"New Orleans!" Everyone at the table drank, apart from Cassidy, whose baby bump had grown a little bit bigger. "I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have. What Marcel, in fact, took and built into this: a true community of vampires."
"What about her?" Diego pointed to Cassidy at the far end of the table. "The witch."
"No one seems to get how offending that word is." Cassidy snapped at him, raising her glass of water to her lips.
"Had you'd let me finish, Diego, you would know that there is, of course, one further matter I would like to address." Klaus walked over to the other end of the table where Cassidy sat. "As many of you know, this beautiful girl right here is not only my mate and the woman that I will be spending my life with... but she is also carrying my children. Twins, in fact. Consequently, I trust you will all pay her the appropriate respect."
---
Davina tip-toed into the garage at the compound, and after a moment, she called out into the room.
"I know you're in here, Josh. I can sense your fear."
"I heard you're moving in." A voice spoke up. Davina turned to see a vampire, Josh, emerge from behind a car. Davina smiled widely at the sight of him and rushed forward to hug him tightly.
"Who is this?" A different voice joined them. Both Josh and Davina turned, startled, but relaxed when they just saw that it was Cassidy.
"Hey, beautiful." Davina smiled at her.
"You're Cassidy." Josh realised, getting all of his information about her from Marcel, who never shut up about her. "The siphon with eight mates, including four originals, a vampire, a werewolf, a witch, and one unknown."
"You've done your research." Cassidy smirked at Josh, walking closer to them to hold Davina's hand in her own. "And you are?"
"Oh, this is my friend, Josh, newbie vampire way out of his element, voted 'Most Likely to Die Next'." Davina introduced in a joking tone, squeezing Cassidy's hand lovingly.
"Fantastic..." Josh nodded nervously after discovering that information despite Davina only joking... kind of.
---
Cassidy and Hayley walked through the second floor of the compound together.
"Where have you been all day?" Cassidy asked her mate, their joined hands slightly swinging between them.
"In the Bayou. I found some werewolves there who are interested in helping me discover more about my Crescent birthmark and about my bloodline. They think my family is out in the Bayou somewhere." Hayley explained with an excited smile, which caused Cassidy to grin at her mate's happiness.
"That's amazing, babe! I would love to meet them when you find them."
"Obviously." Hayley chuckled, just as they heard rather loud rustling from the room they were passing by. It was Davina's room. Cassidy and Hayley exchanged a look at the loud sounds before heading over to the open door, peering into the room. They saw Davina sat on the floor, rifling through her drawers.
"Hey." Cassidy greeted. Davina turned, shooting her a smile, but continued to rifle around. "What are you looking for?"
"My violin." Davina admitted. "I must've left it in the attic a few weeks ago before I moved in."
"So, just go get it." Hayley suggested with a shrug. Davina scoffed as if it was absurd to even think that.
"I can't. It's not safe for me out there."
"Funny, I was under the impression everyone was afraid of you." Hayley teased her mate's other mate.
"The witches are after me."
"You mean that crazy witch, Agnes? The one who tried to kill me, too?" Cassidy questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. "'Lijah killed her, Vina. Didn't you know?"
"But.. Agnes was the last living Elder. If she's dead, then I'm safe." Davina slowly shook her head in disbelief. "Marcel would've told me."
"Maybe he didn't wanna lose his secret weapon against the witches." Hayley chimed in.
"Marcel wouldn't do that." Cassidy immediately said, defending her other mate. "I'm sure he has a good reason for not telling you, Vina. Just talk to him about it, yeah?"
"I'll try." Davina sighed. Cassidy smiled a small smile before heading over to Davina, kissing her cheek, and then leaving the room with Hayley.