CHAPTER THIRTEEN
finding klaus
Henrik returned home that evening to a tense atmosphere. Elijah and I sat on opposite sides of the sofa, furiously ignoring each other. Elijah was reading what looked like classic literature whilst I watched the flames dance in the fireplace, my jaw stiff. One look at me and Henrik seemed to understand what had gone down between Elijah and I.
Frowning at his brother, Henrik walked over to me and before I could say anything, he picked me up in a bridal carry. I let out a small squeak of shock before wrapping my arms around his neck and nuzzling my head into his chest as he walked me out of the living room.
I glanced over Henrik's shoulder and saw that Elijah was scowling at his brother's back. Our eyes connected for a moment before Henrik turned the corner and he was out of sight.
Once we reached my room, Henrik gently lay me down on the bed before closing the door and murmuring a spell. At my confusion, Henrik said, "It's a soundproofing spell, Elijah won't be able to hear anything even with his vampire hearing."
"Oh," I said, my cheeks heating.
"For talking," Henrik clarified, "Although I'm not opposed to whatever is going on in your mind right now.
My cheeks grew even hotter and Henrik chuckled as he lay down beside me. I turned onto my side so I could face him and was stuck by how utterly beautiful he was. Of course, I'd always thought he was beautiful, but it was only now that I've let myself appreciate it instead of constantly trying to taper down my feelings for him.
"Do you want to talk about what happened between you and Elijah?" He asked and I sighed, taking a moment to answer.
"It was all going so well!" I began, my heart aching, "We talked and kissed and it was incredible! I even felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable with him. I thought that my life was turning a corner, that everything would be okay and that I would be happy."
"You will be happy, I swear it." Henrik said, cradling my jaw, which was beginning to hurt from how long I'd been grinding my teeth today.
"He wants to kill Klaus." I said in a hushed voice, even though I knew Elijah wouldn't be able to hear. Henrik nodded, having already knew this, "You don't agree with him, do you?"
"Of course not!" Henrik said, almost reeling back with horror, "He's my brother, I don't wish him any harm, but more importantly he's your mate and I would never wish to take him away from you."
"How are we going to stop Elijah then?" I asked.
Henrik sighed, "I don't know, I went to Mystic Falls today partly to learn more about Elijah's plans. When Klaus breaks his curse, he'll be vulnerable and Elijah believes that a powerful witch will be able to kill him. However, the level of power a witch would have to have to achieve this would be astronomical. I know of only three witches who would have this level of power and, thankfully, they are all dead."
"So you think his plan will fail?" I asked hopefully.
Henrik hesitated, "I wouldn't underestimate Elijah. I'm willing to bet that he can archive whatever he puts his mind to with the right motivation."
"So we need to warn Klaus then?" I asked and Henrik tensed.
"There's a reason that Elijah has been so against you meeting Klaus," He began, "When you first lay eyes on your mate, your souls meet for the very first time and even if you don't consummate the bond, the death of your mate would mentally break a part of you."
The pieces began clicking in my mind as he spoke, "Elijah would never allow that to happen to me, which is why he wants to kill Klaus before we get a chance to meet." I grinned when I finally realised what Henrik was getting at, "So, if I were to meet him, Elijah couldn't kill him."
"Exactly." He said and we grinned at eachother
"Do you know where he is? Elijah said that his informant descovered his location." I asked hopefully and he nodded.
"Yes, but you have to promise me that you won't go without me. I want to make sure my brother does not harm you. Elijah did have a point in that I have not known Niklaus for centuries. He could very well be a changed man."
Henrik and I had never broken a promise to each other. Having spent most of our lives surrounded by unreliable and thoughtless people, we made sure that were could always trust eachother no matter what.
"I promise." I whispered, a pit of dread forming in my stomach as I forced the words out.
Henrik gave me a quick peck on the lips before he told me, "He's in Charlottesville."
"Charlottesville? That's one town over, he's only like an hour away!" I said, extremely happy that I didn't have to go on a ten hour road trip to find him.
"We don't want Elijah to know what we're going to do since both of us leaving would be very conspicuous given the timing, so we'll go next week once the dust has settled." Henrik informed me and I nodded. It was a good, smart plan, but I feared that if we waited a week, we would be too late.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked hopefully and he raised a teasing brow, "To sleep, not do anything else." I quickly clarified and Henrik chuckled.
I fell asleep in his arms, guilt overwhelming me. It broke my heart that I was going to have to break a promise to him.
***
The next morning when I woke, I was alone. After brushing my teeth and getting dressed, I headed towards the kitchen, where I could already smell bacon. Henrik was cooking and after peering around the room, I relaxed when I realised that Elijah wasn't here.
"He left a couple of hours ago, I think he went to Mystic Falls." Henrik informed me as he slid a plate of food in front of me.
Our conversation was light hearted as we ate but internally I was dreading what I knew I had to do. More than anything I feared how betraying his trust would effect him. My Henrik has a strong soul but a delicate heart, which I really didn't want to break.
Elijah returned some time after breakfast and although I tried to be civil with him, I refused to meet his gaze.
"I'm going to go to the café for lunch." I informed them, "I'm feeling a bit stir crazy and as much as I like your faces, it would be nice to see some other ones."
"I'll come with you." Elijah said casually and I scowled, not wanting him to interrupt my plans.
"Why? So that the waitresses can witness a second fight between us?" I huffed as I grabbed my phone and the keys to the hire car.
"So that I can protect you." Elijah said sternly.
"I've been able to survive without your protection for two decades, I'm sure I'll manage without you for a half an hour trip to a café that is literally five minutes down the road." I informed him before leaving to room and shutting the door in his face.
Adrenaline filling my veins, I jogged down the stairs and through the hallway until I reached the empty hotel lobby. From there, I left the building, got in the car and drove off, heading in the direction of the café. I looked in my mirrors and was relieved to find that no one had chased after me.
Putting my foot hard on the pedal, I passed the café, a feeling of exhilaration filling me. I also felt so free after mainly staying at the hotel for weeks on end.
With the speed I was going at, I reached Charlottesville in less than an hour. I was aware that any minute now, Henrik and Elijah would realise that I was not where I said I'd be. I walked around the town for a while, not really knowing where to start when my phone began to buzz. I pulled it to find that Henrik was calling me. I let it go to voicemail and several texts from both him and Elijah followed. I didn't read any of them and turned my phone off, adrenaline filling me once more.
I had about an hour's head start before they inevitably found me, took me back to the hotel, locked me in a room and threw out the key.
I continued to walk around the town, looking at the face of every person I passed. I had no idea what Klaus looked like but I had a feeling I'd know him when I saw him. I turned into an alleyway to catch my breath when I felt a familiar pull in my stomach, the same one I felt when I met my other mates.
I glanced around hopefully but I couldn't find the source of the pull. I continued down the alley when a hand grabbed me around the throat and pinned me against the the wall. I gasped and my hands began to claw at the one that held me up before I saw the face of my attacker and froze.
"Klaus." I said, my voice strained as his grip tightened on my throat.
"Who are you and why do you wish to deceive me by wearing her face?" He said, his eyes dark with rage.
"I'm not trying to deceive you," I choked out, "Don't you feel the pull between us? I'm Morgana, your mate."
He held me there for a moment before his eyes widened and he gently lowered me to the ground. I was still trying to process what was happening when his arms closed around me. I froze for a minute, expecting it to be another attack when I realised he was hugging me.
"I've been waiting for you my whole life." He said breathlessly as I relaxed in his arms, "You've finally come to save me."
Originally published: July 3rd 2023