———
The cure had been found.
But to everyone's surprise and disappointment, the one who got to it first...was Katherine Pierce.
Not only had she gotten the cure, but in the process of doing so, she killed Jeremy Gilbert.
Elena, unable to handle the grief of losing her brother, had turned off her humanity.
And to top it all off, Elena set her house on fire with Jeremy's body inside.
Nik and I were currently walking hand-in-hand in the parking lot of a sketchy gas station.
We were looking for Hayley because she called me and told me she was being hunted down by a vampire who worked for Katherine Pierce.
Hayley had made a deal with Katherine, and Katherine's end of the deal was Hayley telling her where to get the cure in exchange for something Hayley hadn't disclosed.
And of course, Katherine being who she is, didn't want any lose ends, so she sent someone after Hayley.
Hayley, not knowing what to do, called me and begged for me to get Nik to protect her.
I of course said yes. So here we are.
Nik and I came upon the scene as Hayley was thrown to the ground, the vampire looming over her menacingly.
Nik sped into action, dropping my hand, yanking the vampire's jacket, and spinning the guy around to face him.
"Have a care, mate. That's no way to treat a lady." Nik says, his eyes glowing and fangs showing.
Nik then bites into his neck, and throws him into the side of a truck we were next to.
The vampire slumps to the ground, unconscious and sporting a brand new wolf bite.
"Oh my god! Are you okay? I was so worried when you texted me." I start to freak out as I help Hayley off the ground.
"You came." Hayley states breathlessly.
"Well, you did say it was urgent." Nik shrugs.
The vampire on the ground started to groan in pain before vamp-speeding off to somewhere.
Hayley looks off in to the distance, worry evident in her eyes.
"Oh, don't worry about him, love. He'll never make it through tomorrow night." Nik says with a smirk.
"What if there are more?" Hayley stresses.
I run her arm in an attempt to comfort her.
"You were foolish enough to make a deal with Katerina Petrova. She used you to find the cure and now you're nothing but a loose end. You'll be lucky if she lets you live." Nik replies.
"Nik!" I scold.
"I am simply stating facts, my angel." Nik holds his hands up in innocence.
"You said he would protect me." Hayley looks at me with worry.
"And I will. Just as soon as you tell me everything you know about Katerina." Nik replies.
———
After that Nik took the three of us back to the house.
Hayley was in another room relaxing by herself while I sat in the parlor with Nik.
I was currently trying to teach him how to braid my hair, because whenever I do it my arms get too tired.
Nik was sat on the couch while I sat in front of him on the floor.
"Ugh. This is infuriating." Nik grunts as he gently tugs on my hair.
"What's the problem?" I giggle.
"Whenever I go to grab more hair one of the other sections falls out of my hand. Now it's all tangled which isn't helping." Nik complains.
"We'll take a break and I'll brush it okay?" I chuckle.
"Okay. I am getting better though, right?"
"Much better. You'll be an expert in no time." I smile.
Nik grins before giving my a quick kiss.
We pull apart as we hear a knock on the door.
Nik and I walk to the front door and he opens it, revealing Damon.
Damon pushes past us, sauntering in to the house.
"Ah, what an unpleasant surprise." Nik sighs.
"So I just came up with a list..." Damon says as he walks to the parlor. Nik shuts the door and we follow. "It's called "Things You both Suck At" Number one: For Klaus, Finding Katherine. Ever. Number two: For Ivy, covering up your secret phone conversations with that little backstabber Hayley."
"Damon she's my sister, I'm obviously gonna talk to her." I rub my temples to sooth my forming headache.
"Yeah, so, where is she? What does she know about Katherine?" Damon asks.
"We should help you?" Nik scoffs.
"Mhm." Damon nods.
"After you lot killed my brother and imprisoned me in the Gilbert living room?" Nik questions.
"You might want to prioritize, Klaus. You have much bigger problems." Damon says in an attempt to be threatening.
Nik looks at him blankly.
"Katherine has the cure. My guess is she's gonna want to cram it down your throat. You help me find Katherine, I'll get the cure, I'll give it to Elena, everybody wins. Just let me question Hayley about Katherine."
"Can't help you, mate. Hayley is important to Ivy, which unfortunately for you, means she's off limits." Nik smirks.
———
I sit silently with Tibbles in my lap as Nik stares down Hayley, who takes the last swig of her wine.
"So, you're rested, you're fed. Tell me about Katerina." Nik says impatiently.
"Why not just try and scare it out of me? Why even bother with the fancy wine and comfy house?" Hayley questions skeptically.
"Well, in your case, you being Ivy's sister and all, I favor hospitality over unpleasantness, but I have been known to change my mind on a whim. Where is Katerina?" Nik answers with a smirk.
"You seriously think I know?" Hayley scoffs.
"You tipped her off as to what we were up to and set her on a course to find the cure. In return, she sent her lackey to snuff you out. Tell me, what did Katerina promise you?" Nik questions.
Hayley looks at him and pauses for a moment before setting down her glass and readjusting in her seat, leaning forward.
"I was in New Orleans trying to find information about my real parents. Katherine found me and told me she could help." Hayley answers.
And just like that, I was flooded with guilt.
I knew exactly where she could find information about our family, but I had kept it from her because I was selfish and scared.
———
I was sitting by myself on the couch as Nik was making a phone call and Hayley was exploring the house.
As if called in by my thoughts, Hayley plopped down next to me on the couch.
"Your boyfriend is creepy." She states.
"How so?" I ask curiously.
"I found an art room and like 80 percent of the pieces are just portraits of you." She explains.
"He says I'm his muse. I actually asked why he painted me so often once and he told me that painting something you're passionate about always makes the piece better, and there was nothing he was more passionate about than me." I gleam as I recall his words.
"That's weirdly sweet for the big bad hybrid." She giggles.
"He's a softy don't let him fool you." I chuckle.
"Ruining my reputation behind my back, angel?" Nik questions playfully.
"What an absurd accusation!" I gasp.
"Sure." Nik chuckles.
He then turns his attention to Hayley. "My sister informs me that your vampire assailant is dead, so you're safe and free to go. Or stay."
"I could be persuaded to stay, enjoy some of the good life. And maybe I could drum up a few more of Katherine's secrets and you could do something for me." Hayley negotiates.
"Oh, I'm sorry, love, but you'll never convince me to let Tyler come back here." Nik replies.
The guilt from earlier returned as I realized Hayley was alone in mystic falls besides Nik and I.
Tyler was gone and now everyone hates her for making a deal with Katherine.
"Hayley, I've gotta tell you something." I speak timidly.
"What is it?" She asks curiously.
I hesitate and take a deep breath.
I look at Nik for encouragement, he sends me a small smile and nod.
"I know which pack our family was from."
———
444 I LOVE angel numbers 💋