Elijah had taken me to his home that he and his family had made in a compound, leading me into an upstairs living to see Klaus and a woman.
Elijah looked at the woman. "Freya, this is Nicola Salvatore, an old friend." Klaus hilariously rolled his eyes. Freya gave Elijah a look. "One of Niklaus' trickle-down sirelings." Klaus looked at me in surprise, not knowing that I had turned into a vampire before that statement. "Long story." Elijah turned to me. "Nicola, this is Freya, my brand new sister. Also a long story that you and I have discussed." I nodded awkwardly in agreement. Elijah turned to Freya. "Nicola needs a favor."
Freya looked at me suspiciously. "You're an old 'friend', are you?"
"Well, that kind of depends on your definition," I told her, smiling nervously.
Freya scowled at me.
Klaus chuckled, walking closer. "Well, Nicola, welcome to the big easy, a place I never thought I'd see your face." I raised my eyebrows in acknowledgement. Klaus smiled mockingly. "Who is a vampire now. While I am not surprised that you have turned, I am surprised that it took this long. Welcome to immortality."
I gave Klaus a sarcastic look.
Klaus smiled.
~~~~~~~
Freya and I were still in the upstairs living room.
Freya was examining my X-shaped wound from Rayna's sword on my shoulder. "You're another one of Elijah's exes, are you?"
"Well, I'm not sure that I would go that far," I told her. "You know, we never actually dated. He was in Mystic Falls when I was human. Uh, I was sick with a cancerous tumor." Freya looked at me in surprise and curiosity. "And he was afraid that getting involved with me would get me killed, so..."
"So he ran from his feelings from you, just as I'm sure you ran from your feelings from him," Freya told me. I looked at her in confusion. "He might have told me of a time that you were angry with him, and tried to pretend that you hated him, but your true feelings showed."
"Yeah, well, feelings are a pain in the ass," I told her. Freya chuckled. "So, yeah, the answer to your question about me being Elijah's ex is... there is no answer. I don't know what we were, or what we are."
Freya smiled. "That's worse."
I nodded. "But I do have a boyfriend now. Though, I doubt he'll be very inclined to see me after getting in an altercation with my distant ancestors that are more like my brothers." Freya looked at me in confusion. I shook my head. "It's a long story."
Freya chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Oh. While that seems like a great story, let's get back to your wounds. A mystical vampire huntress stabbed you with her magic sword. You killed her. But, surprise, surprise..."
"She regenerates," I finished.
Freya sighed. "And won't rest until you're dead, or you become a Huntress like she is."
I nodded. "Right. So, no matter how far I run, this wound acts as a beacon, drawing her to me. So, I guess you could say it's been a bit of a rough week."
I chuckled barely.
Freya began to rub an herbal paste over my still-bleeding X-shaped cut with an equally nervous smile. "Well, I can't cure the wound, but this paste will mask its signal. Just let that dry, and you'll be on your merry way."
I frowned in confusion. "You know, not that I was expecting a, uh, parade or anything, but why is everyone so eager for me to go?"
Freya tilted her head sarcastically. "What's troubling the Mikaelsons? Oh, let's see. There's Elijah's super-secret society of ancient vampires called the Strix. One of their more zealous members, an old flame of Elijah's named Aya, is trying to undo my mother's most powerful spell to try and break the sirelines so that they can kill Klaus and Elijah without anyone else dying. Klaus' ex Aurora has the last remaining white oak in the world, which she has turned into bullets so that she can have enough to shoot both Klaus and Elijah in the heart if they're successful by breaking the sirelinks. And if the spell doesn't work..."
"Every vampire in the world will die," I finished.
Freya nodded.
I was overwhelmed with this information.
~~~~~~~
Elijah's ex Aya and Klaus' ex Aurora had taken Elijah and Klaus so that they could break the sireline.
Hayley Marshall and two vampires were talking in the courtyard of the compound.
One of them had dark skin.
The other was sitting on the couch, feeding on blood bags.
There were several blood bags lying around, empty and full.
Vampire 1 looked at Hayley. "I had no idea that Aya was gonna take Klaus and Elijah down." He gestured to the other vampire who was feeding on blood bags, Vampire 2. "And regardless, why the hell are we trusting this guy all of a sudden, huh? He's the one who ran off with Aurora the first chance he got."
"You can hardly fault a man for following his heart," Vampire 2 told them. "Yet, the moment she started raving about firing white oak into Klaus, well... words were said, hearts broken, veins drained."
Hayley turned to Vampire 1. "You're one to talk about trust. Who was it that handed my dead husband's heart to the people who helped murder him?"
"I bought your life with that heart," Vampire 1 told her. Hayley tilted her head skeptically. "And you know what? You called me here, so if you have another plan, please, let's hear it."
"It's simple," Hayley told them. "We storm the coven house, stop the Strix from completing the de-siring spell. Period."
"Okay, well, that's easy for you to say," Vampire 1 told her. "You're not sired by anybody, are you?"
"It's not just about de-siring," Vampire 2 told them. "We've got to stop an execution."
Vampire 1 walked toward Vampire 2, looking at him skeptically. "What are you talking about?"
Vampire 2 looked at Vampire 1 skeptically. "A lovesick teenage witch with a runner-up heart is somehow going to break the sireline? I'm sorry, but your darling Davina is in over her head, and Aya knows this. She will let Davina de-sire both brothers, then test the spell's success by firing a white oak bullet into Klaus' heart. I mean, it's a win-win for her. If you live, Marcel, well, she's won. If not, at least she's eliminated the rival sireline, including me."
"His prophecy witch said she saw Klaus die and his entire sireline burn," Hayley told them.
Marcel looked extremely worried.
"She watched us all fall, she watched us all burn, every soul Klaus ever turned," Vampire 2 told them. "When Aya tests this spell, Klaus will fall either way. And, if Davina fails, as she likely will, two of us will die as well."
I walked toward them. "Actually, make that the three of us."
Hayley turned, looking shocked at the sight of me in the courtyard of her home.
~~~~~~~
The two vampires were named Marcel and Lucien.
I was looking at a blueprint of the Davilla estate, the Strix headquarters.
Lucien stood over my shoulder, watching what he was doing.
Marcel was sitting on the staircase, on the phone.
"Could use one of these access tunnels to slip into a backroom," I told them.
Lucien frowned. "Hmm."
"What?" I asked sarcastically. "Worried about getting a little dirt on your thousand-dollar shoes?"
"Actually, I'll be doing most of the heavy lifting, since the vampires we're facing are, what?" Lucien asked. "Seven times your age?" He looked at Marcel. "Is this really the best help we can get?"
I stood, turning to face Lucien defensively. "I'm more capable than you think I am." We both used vampire speed. I tried to punch him. Lucien tucked his head to the side to make me miss, grabbing my hand from next to his head, twisting it behind my back to try to restrain me. I spun out of the grip before he could finish the hold, backhand punching him in the face, still holding his hand that he had used to try and retrain me to twist his arm behind his back, pushing him face first against the table. "Ever heard of the Brotherhood of the Five?" I tightened the hold on Lucien's arms. "I was a Potential when I was a human. What do you think I'm capable of now?"
Marcel stood, handing up his phone.
I let Lucien go, backing away.
Marcel walked toward us, looking at me, smirking, impressed. "Damn, girl."
Lucien stood straight, turning to face me, smirking. "Seems like I misjudged you."
"I don't like you, and I think you're a creep than can get one of us dead," I told him. "And I normally don't misjudge people."
Marcel smiled, looking at Lucien, pointing at me. "I like this girl." I smirked. Marcel returned serious. "But it doesn't matter. We're not getting their bodies back. Strix from all over the world are flying in to make sure this spell goes off. They're guarding every entrance and exit."
Lucien gave him a look. "Well, you're their leader. Call a meeting. Schedule a retreat. Order them to stop."
Marcel shook his head. "Nah, nah, nah, nah. I do that, Aya has no problem staging a coup."
Lucien sighed. "I guess it's on me to come up with our grand plan, then."
Freya and Hayley walked toward us
"No need, Lucien," Hayley told him. "Freya figured out a way to get the boys out of the chambre. She just needs a strong enough power source."
"I'd channel Finn, but he's all for letting our brothers perish," Freya told us. "So, I'll channel Lucien. The older the vampire, the better the battery."
"We're going to buy her some time, keep the Strix occupied," Hayley told us.
Lucien scoffed. "Wait, so you want me here holding hands with the leftover sister while the toddler vampires tackle the Strix? You must be jok--"
Freya smirked, flicking her wrist, using magic to snap Lucien's neck, watching in amusement as he fell back against the couch.
I turned to Freya in surprise, giving her a hilariously impressed look. "Well, that was impressive."
Freya smirked. "Well, I work better with quiet."
I smiled.
"Wait, so the plan is that the three of us are gonna keep one hundred of the world's most ancient vampires occupied?" Marcel asked.
"Well, there could be another way," I told him. Marcel looked at me curiously in confusion. "All you have to do is get us to the front door."
~~~~~~~
Marcel was driving a black car down the road to the Davilla estate.
Hayley and I were hidden inside the truck of the car so no one could see us.
Hayley was looking at her phone to keep track of where we were.
"Are we close?" I asked.
"A few more minutes," Hayley answered, swiping left to exit the GPS map, ending up on her home screen.
I saw a picture of a baby, smiling a small smile. "That's a cute kid."
Hayley smiled a small smile. "Yeah. She is."
"Is that Hope?" I asked. Hayley looked at me. "Elijah told me a little bit about her."
"Yeah, that's Hope," Hayley answered.
"Is she the reason you're here?" I asked.
"In a trunk with a stranger, going into a fight we may not win?" Hayley asked. "She's not the only reason, but, yeah. Maybe I just don't want her to grow up without a father."
I nodded in agreement. "Hmm. Yeah. Take it from a girl who lost her father to a vampire snapping his neck while he was saving me. Every girl needs her father."
"Mm, guess that depends on the father," Hayley told me. "Klaus and Elijah could have done without Mikael."
I nodded in agreement. "Stefan and Damon could have done without their father, Giuseppe."
"Stefan and Damon..." Hayley trailed off. "Aren't they the vampire brothers that you're related to?"
I nodded. "Yeah. We're a dysfunctional family."
Hayley chuckled. "So are we. You know, I never understood the brotherly bond until I met Klaus and Elijah. They hurt each other more than anyone, but... they're vicious when it comes to each other."
"And the ones they care about," I added. "I know the type."
Hayley nodded. "Elijah took you in. I guess that means he still has some feelings for you. Do you still have feelings for him?"
I considered that for a moment. "I felt something spark. But it doesn't matter. I have to leave. I have to run. Why? Are you harboring feelings for the legendary Elijah Mikaelson?"
Hayley looked down solemnly. "It's a long, complicated story."
"It always is," I told her. "But I don't see a future with me and Elijah. Besides, I'm with somebody else now."
"Oh, really?" Hayley asked. "Who?" I took out my phone to show her the wallpaper of me and Tyler embracing, smiling happily. Hayley was surprised. "No way. Tyler Lockwood. Oh. I used to have a huge crush on him when he was with Caroline. And I think I snapped her neck once."
I chuckled. "Yeah, well, she's with Stefan now. And she's toughened up since. I don't think you'd win round two."
"And Stefan, Damon and Caroline are also in Klaus' sireline," Hayley told me. "Are they the reason why you're here?"
I smirked. "In a trunk with a stranger, going into a fight we may not win? I guess we both have our reasons." The car slowed down. Marcel pulled us up to the front gate. Hayley looked as if she was about to say something. I put my finger to my lips. "Shh."
We were let inside the gate, Marcel driving us up to the front door.
~~~~~~~
Marcel had gotten inside.
The rest of us were still in the car, hidden.
Hayley checked the time on her phone, sighing. "It's time."
I took out my sword, holding it above me, using the point of the blade to scratch at the healing wound from Rayna's sword on my shoulder. "Hey, listen. I... know we don't really know each other, but my life is... sort of in your hands. So let's make this count. And just to be clear... I'm not just doing this to save Klaus to save my life. I'm doing it to save Elijah." Hayley looked at me. "And I know you are, too."
I used the point of the blade of my sword to scratch the paste Freya had put over my wound off.
~~~~~~~
There were still a half-dozen Strix guards pacing outside the front gate of the estate.
We could hear a pair of running footsteps.
Rayna had stabbed all of the vampires to put their souls into the Phoenix Stone, going inside.
Once we were sure that it was safe to get out of the car, we did, running inside.
A female vampire was walking into a parlor with at least a dozen of the Strix guards, looking impatient and annoyed by this inconvenience. "If you've lost contact, send men to the front gate to check the--" She sensed something, stopping, holding a fist up in the air to signal her men and women to do the same. She gestured to the three of the men to go into the next room to investigate. When the men walked into the next room, it only took seconds for stabbing noises and groans of pain to be heard by the rest of the group. Finally, a bloodstained Rayna stepped out, smirking. The female vampire scowled. "Well, it isn't Rayna Cruz."
The vampires transformed, lunging for Rayna at vampire speed.
In the hallway, Hayley and I peeked around the door to make sure the vampires were all fully occupied with fighting Rayna, continuing on toward the coven house where the witches were performing the de-siring spell.
~~~~~~~
We found three more Strix vampires guarding the doors to the coven house.
I appeared behind one of them, running him through with my sword, making him fall to his knees, taking out the sword, snapping his neck, letting his unconscious body fall to the floor.
The other two vampires turned to face me.
Hayley appeared behind one of them, snapping his neck, letting him fall to the floor. I swung the sword toward him. The vampire raised his arm to take the blow in his arm instead. I elbowed him in the chest, spinning around to kick him in the stomach, making him back away toward Hayley. Hayley snapped his neck, letting him fall.
I saw a vampire approaching Hayley from behind. "Hayley!"
I tossed her the sword.
Hayley caught the sword, spinning to decapitate the vampire approaching behind her, watching the headless vampire fall. She was stunned at what she had done, turning to face me. "I don't even know how to use this thing, and it's pretty damn useful."
I smirked.
Hayley saw a vampire approaching that I felt walking closer behind me, tossing me the sword. I caught it, turning the sword to stab the vampire in the stomach, taking it out, elbowing him in the stomach where I had stabbed him to make him groan in pain. He gripped my shoulder from behind me, going to punch a hand into my back. I ducked underneath his arm, making his arm land on my other shoulder, dodging the hand that he had wanted to punch into my back. I turned to him, slashing my sword through his arm that was still on my shoulder, cutting it off, making him groan a scream of pain. The vampire tried to use his other arm to punch me. I ducked, grabbing his arm, spinning around to stand behind him, kicking his knee hard enough to break it, making him fall to his knees.
I held my sword toward Hayley, restraining him with the arm I was still holding. "Would you like to do the honors?"
Hayley took the sword, using it to decapitate the vampire.
~~~~~~~
Hayley and I walked into the coven house, which was actually a pool room.
I was holding my sword again.
Klaus and Elijah were in the pool, unconscious, their throats slit, their blood staining the water around them.
The coven of witches surrounded them.
There were a few Strix vampires and Marcel standing nearby.
The witches were casting the spell. "Nemo unus animabus carnem et sanguinatum de ista duo. Sanguinatum venteus barkael meh. Nemo unus animabus carnem et sanguinem de ista duo. Sanguinatum ventes barkael meh."
Hayley and I were horrified by the sight of Klaus and Elijah floating in the pool filled with their blood.
The witches all had their eyes closed, not immediately noticing us, and neither did the Strix vampires.
A vampire looked toward me. I slashed the sword across his face before he had a chance to react, pushing him to the floor.
The vampires looked toward Hayley and me.
Hayley and I rushed toward two vampires, snapping their necks before they could react, letting their bodies fall.
I stabbed the vampire that I had slashed with the sword in the face, driving it into his skull to keep him down and make him fall unconscious.
Marcel rushed toward another vampire, snapping his neck, letting him fall.
A teenage witch gave him a betrayed look. "Marcel!"
I thought it was safe to say that that was Davina.
Marcel looked at Davina apologetically, pointing at her. "I'm sorry, D." He looked at Hayley and me. "We need to get them out of that water, now."
Hayley and I nodded in agreement.
Davina looked furious, thrusting her hands toward us, just as the witches did the same. "No!"
Davina and the witches used magic to throw Marcel, Hayley and me across the room into the far wall, making us fall to the floor, incapacitating us long enough to return to the spell, making me drop my sword in the process.
~~~~~~~
Elijah suddenly woke, though the witches didn't seem to notice immediately.
Davina and the witches continued to chant the incantation for the de-siring spell. "Nemo animabus carnem et sanguinem--"
Elijah rushed to his feet in the pool, grabbing a witch by the front of her cloak, pulling her into the water, both drowning her and feeding on her at the same time, her blood spreading through the water.
Marcel, Hayley and I stood.
I picked up my sword.
Davina and the witches were doing their best to complete the spell, though it was obvious that they were terrified and unsure of what to do.
Elijah leaped out of the water, snapping the neck of one of the other witches.
I snapped another witch's neck.
Hayley snapped another witch's neck.
I slashed my sword into the shoulder of another vampire, making him fall, spinning around him toward another vampire behind him, backhand punching him in the face, taking the sword out of the first vampire's shoulder to slash into the second's stomach, making them both fall. Another vampire rushed toward me. I put my sword against his throat, turning to push him against the wall, almost pushing the sword through his neck, about to kill him.
I stopped because I was terrified of becoming a Huntress that couldn't control her own actions, terrified that I would try and maybe in fact kill my family and my friends.
I froze in the middle of the fight.
The vampire took advantage of it, turning to push me against the wall instead, pushing my sword against my throat to try and take my head off. He suddenly gasped in pain, letting the sword fall.
I caught the sword in the palm of my hands before it could fall to the floor, looking at the vampire in confusion.
The vampire fell to the floor to reveal Elijah on the other side of him with the vampire heart's in his hand.
Elijah let the vampire's heart fall to the floor next to his body, looking at me.
I looked at him, breathing heavily, only slightly embarrassed that he had to save me because I couldn't go through with the kill.
Marcel looked at Davina, pleading with her to stop her from finishing the spell. "Davina, stop!"
Davina stood, walking away from the edge of the pool, though she still continued chanting the spell.
~~~~~~~
Davina had just thrust her hand toward Klaus, continuing the spell. "Nemo unus animabus carnem." Klaus awoke in the pool. "Nemo unus animabus carnem!" Klaus leaped out of the water at vampire speed, toward Davina. Davina held her hands toward him, using magic to make him stop midair, growling the words at him furiously. "You've had your turn!" The lights exploded in a shower of sparks. Davina pushed her arms down, using magic to push Klaus into the pool with a loud splash. Elijah was finishing of the witches that were still fighting against us. "Nemo unus animabus carnem. Nemo unus animabus carnem!"
Marcel and I were standing a few feet away from the pool and away from each other. The skin on our hands started to turn bright red as if we were burning. The bright red made its way up our arms, traveling up our necks. It felt like we were burning alive from the inside, screaming in agony.
Klaus was screaming in agony.
Davina waved her arms into two concentric circles.
The water in the pool shot up in what looked like a half-dozen geysers.
The force of completing the spell caused Davina to pass out. She fell to the floor, unconscious.
Klaus fell unconscious in the water once again.
Marcel and I were on the floor, breathing heavily, trying to recover.
Elijah stood, jumping into the pool next to Klaus, gently helping him sit up.
Klaus looked desiccated, however, it quickly began to fade as the wound on his throat healed. He weakly opened his eyes, barely able to speak above a whisper. "I felt them leave. My sireline is broken."
~~~~~~~
It was the next day, and I had covered my wound again so that Rayna could not track me anymore.
Hayley had killed Elijah's ex Aya.
Elijah and I were in Lafayette Cemetery, hearing Klaus trap his ex Aurora in a tomb for her sins behind a brick wall and a boundary spell provided by Freya. "Welcome back to the real world, love. I thought we might revisit our chat about what hurts and what does not. Courtesy of my dear sister."
"Oh, what are you doing?" Aurora asked angrily.
"You made me realize today what a monster I've been," Klaus told her. "And I am sorry that I didn't do this sooner."
"You can't just leave me here!" Aurora told him.
"I had the right idea when I bricked up your portrait," Klaus told her. "Behind walls is where you belong."
"Then just kill me!" Aurora told him. "Please, Nik! Just kill me!"
"Oh, I think not," Klaus told her mockingly. "Not with the only one who loves you rotting at the bottom of the ocean. I wouldn't grant you the mercy. So, while the fish eat him..."
"No," Aurora told him desperately.
"And the worms eat you..." Klaus trailed off. "Just know that it was I who took everything from you."
~~~~~~~
Elijah and I walked together through the aisles of elevated tombs of the cemetery.
I was confused and amused. "Why would you bring me here to say goodbye? It's so morbid."
Elijah smiled. "They call these graveyards the Cities of the Dead. Elevated mausoleums meant to honor those who have passed on. It's a very human attempt to overcome fear of mortality by celebrating death. Morbid, certainly... but pure." He turned to face me. "Like your intentions last night. As you've told Hayley, you didn't come to the coven house just to try and save Klaus to try and save yourself. You came to save me."
"I owed you for all those times you saved me when you made the deal with Elena before the sacrifice," I told him. Elijah was convinced. "I'm guessing that that's not the only reason why you brought me here."
"No, it's not," Elijah answered. "You've come to accept yourself as a vampire, Nicola, but you've yet to accept yourself as a Huntress. If you continue to live in fear of what you might turn into by killing a vampire, that fear will paralyze you in the moments that matter most, and you will fall. You have to make the hard decision if it is to save your life or another's. We proved that last night."
I nodded. "Yeah. You're right. When it comes right down to it, the next time I have to face the choice of turning into a Hunter or death, I'm gonna do anything I can do to survive."
"And, if you need anything to help you along the way, you know where to come to," Elijah told me. I smiled a small smile. Elijah looked at me for a moment, leaning closer to kiss me on the cheek, pulling away, looking at me gratefully. "Thank you, Nicola."
I smiled a small smile. "You know, um... there's someone else you should be thanking." Elijah looked at me in curiosity. "Hayley. She cares about you. Enough to risk her own life. Do right by her."
Elijah seemed stunned and taken aback by this. He considered this, nodding. "Take care of yourself, Nicola."
"You, too, Elijah," I told him. "I'm too hopeful to think we'll never see each other again, so... until next time."
Elijah smiled. "Until next time."
I smiled, nodding, turning around, walking away, leaving, walking out of the cemetery and preparing to leave New Orleans.
I didn't know if I would ever come back to New Orleans.
But if I did, I was hoping that it would be under better circumstances.