Klaus stands alone, his daughter the only one keeping him company. Hope is in his arms, babbling on about who knows what. Every day he holds her, he is happy to be alive. Recently, Klaus had needed to be reminded of his happiness. Seeing as how so much of it had been ripped away but those he trusted: Lucien, Elijah, Lexi.
"What better life might have awaited you, were another man your father?" He muses bitterly, whispering against Hope's forehead. "All those who have loved me have lived to regret it. But I do know this, my littlest wolf, I will do right by you."
Footsteps interrupt Klaus' musings. A harsh glare makes its way onto his face. Without turning, he snaps, "What do you want, Lexi?"
Lexi clasps her hands, nervously shifting her weight. Her eyes are on the back of her brother's head. "I'm not foolish enough to ask for your forgiveness, so I'll say it again. I had no choice," Her voice almost breaks. "We protect this family at any cost."
Klaus spins around, his expression cool as ice. Lexi only picks her head up. "You think I'm not aware how heavy that burden is?" He snarls.
"No," Lexi shakes her head. "Both you and I have done what we thought was necessary to preserve that vow. I think that this time...that burden is simply too much to bear."
Klaus opens his mouth, but no words escape. Lexi nods, sending a weak smile towards Hope. The baby girl giggles, throwing her arms out towards her aunt.
Out of thin air, a stuffed animal appears in Lexi's hands. She tosses it to Klaus, saying, "I've been working on it for a while. It's hers."
When Lexi walks out, Klaus takes a moment to admire the stuffed wolf. The yellow eyes seem welcoming and safe, not at all like his own. The grey fur is soft to the touch.
Hope begins to squirm, reaching for the toy. When she receives it, she instantly snuggles and hugs it. "Eti!" She exclaims, waving the toy in Klaus' face. "Eti!"
"Now, now, little wolf," Klaus coos. "We're mad at your aunt right now. Can't have her hearing how happy you are at the toy she made you."
"Eti!" Hope cries again.
That's when it hits Klaus— she saying Lexi's name. Or, as much as she can with her limited vocabulary.
"I'll tell her later. Let her wallow in my anger for now," he grumbles.
Upstairs, Lexi had chosen to not listen to Klaus and Hope. She stands next to Freya with a serious expression on her face. "I assume you felt it too?"
"Yes," Freya nods. "I couldn't sleep."
"I spent the night sobbing, but I also couldn't find peace in unconsciousness," Lexi agrees. Freya watches Lexi, focusing on her still puffy eyes.
"You feel bad."
"Of course, I feel bad," Lexi snaps. "He was my friend."
"You had no choice, Alexis," Freya says softly, placing a hand on Lexi's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Lexi shrugs her off, moving away.
Freya sighs as Kol walks in. "Well, you said you put the prophecy to rest, so what's the worry?" He asks, much calmer than the day before. He had gotten to say goodbye to Davina. He may be angry, but the least he can do is try.
"I didn't sleep last night," Freya informs him. "Neither did Alexis."
"Reasonable, seeing as how she murdered Marcel and gave the order to kill the love of my life," Kol hisses.
Freya's furious eyes snap to his. "She did what she needed to."
"Have you ever thought that maybe it was intuition telling us something is coming?" Lexi's voice snarls from behind Kol.
He turns around as Lexi, a glass of bourbon in her hand, walks up to the both of them. "I didn't know you were here," Kol says as Lexi takes her spot next to Freya.
"Would you care?" Lexi asks, downing the full glass. "As you said, I did practically kill Davina, and I ripped out Marcel's heart. Why would it matter if I was here or wasn't. I'm a monster either way, right?"
Kol opens his mouth, but he stops when he sees her expression. He hadn't taken the time to really look at her since Davina died. That and Lexi had avoided him.
Lexi may look angry or neutral, but Kol can see through her when he tries. And he can see that she is broken.
He hadn't thought about her feelings, only his own. Lexi was furious. Furious and sad. Every loss had been a blow to the chest, knocking the air out of her again and again. She hadn't been able to get a breath in before another blow came down on her.
First the business with the Nogitsune. Then Tristan. Then Lucien's threat. Then Cami. And Davina. And Marcel.
"What's this? Your early warning system?" Lexi's question brings Kol back to earth. She also turns away from him.
"This map is spelled to trace Niklaus' enemies. Let's just hope we're being paranoid," Freya says.
Lexi grabs her hand, and they both close their eyes. They begin to chant, "Calaste piso tal tras es tros. Chalets piso tal tras es tros."
Kol watches as beads of blood move from all over the map towards New Orleans. He realizes the silence when Lexi's hand drops onto the map.
"I guess you're not being paranoid," Kol sighs. "When there is, in fact, a hoard of killers there to get you."
Short one, but the next chapter will be long. Just you wait!!
Also, I have some Teen Wolf content ready but I can't decide if it should go in the next book or this one. What do you think?
Hope you enjoyed!