⚜️☽⚜️
Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry
Precious kisses words that burn me
Lovers never ask you why
In my heart the fire is burning
Choose my color find a star
precious people always tell me
That's a step a step too far
Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry
Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry
Words are few
I have spoken
|
Culture Club
⬦⬥⬦
Marcel and Nik stand on a balcony overlooking Marcel's party. Nik watches as vampires feed on screaming humans with no remorse. Marcel's smiles watching his guys feed.
"This is how I keep my guys happy. The occasional all-you-can-eat buffet. My night walkers love it. I've got them working hard, trying to earn one of these daylight rings.
"They deserve to blow off a little steam. My day walkers, the trusted few-they just like the party."
Nik looks across the room seeing a crest in the wall. An "M" monogram and a coiled serpent. His family crest. Anger coursed through him like a raging river.
"It's quite an operation. Tell me, what about the victims?" Seems like a lot of graves to dig." Nik states looking at his friend then back to the party.
"Can't kill'em all. Too many folks go missing, tourism drops. So, we heal them with a little vamp blood, erase their memories, send them on their way. No muss, no fuss."
All Nik can think about while watching is how much he wants this. He wants control and he wants back his home for his mate an unborn child.
"I'm impressed." Nik states with false pride.
"Nothing I didn't learn from you."
One of Marcel's men approach the two vampires. Nik looks at the man with the funny cap with a smirk. He tries to intimidate him.
"Sup, Thierry?"
Thierry looks at Marcel nervous and worked up.
"Six of our guys were killed in a bar outside of the Quarter. Night-Walkers, no one saw who."
Across town, Bekah makes her way into the city in her red convertible.
|ISABEL|
Hayley and I sit in my room talking about last night.
"So, you mean to tell me this angel helped in your creation?"
I glance up from my phone where my finger hovers over Jasper's name.
"Supposedly, but now I'm not so sure anything she said was true."
She huffs and falls back on the bed. She turns her head to look at me, her long brown hair falling in front of her eyes.
"Just make the call. You want answers, that's how you'll get them."
I know she's right, but do I really want to know why someone I believed to be a friend lied? I hit the button and put my phone on speaker.
"Good-evenin', Isa. Did you make it to New Orleans?" Jasper asks.
"Put the fucker on. I need to have words with him!" I growl out.
In the background, I hear Char. "What the hell did ya do?"
Hayley looks at me and snickers.
"Lil' Bit..." Peter says hesitantly.
A wicked smile makes its way onto my face. Hayley grins at me knowing its about to go down.
"Peter Whitlock! Would you care to explain how I'm pregnant and now attached to a witch bitch?" I spat with venom.
He gulps and I give Hayley a face showing I knew that was coming. Jasper and Char gasp in surprise.
"Okay, you need to trust me when I say this is a good thing. I couldn't say anything about it. This will make you stronger."
"Right, like I didn't need to know this. Peter, this is a huge problem! I'm pissed at one of my mates, the other is daggered, and I want to kill everyone!
"Now unless you can explain yourself, I don't want to hear anything from you!"
I hang up breathing heavy and look at Hayley who's smirking.
"You can be a real bitch."
I laugh and fall beside her. We both quiet hearing a car door slam. Hayley gets off the bed and walks quickly over to the fireplace and grabs the fire poker.
I roll off the bed, following Hayley out of the room. She mouths for me to stay at the top of the stairs. I nod and she continues to the front door. I hear it open.
"Who the hell are you?" Hayley asks.
"Oh, you must be the maid. My bags are in the car- get them, will you." Rebekah says.
I rush down the stairs to stand next to Hayley. I smirk.
"Hello, not the maid," Hayley says dropping the fire poker.
I rush past Hayley and hug Bekah.
"Bekah! You came."
"Isa! I was expecting to see some kind of supernatural baby bump. I guess you're not showing yet. It's Hayley, isn't it? The werewolf protecting my sister."
I let go of Bekah and move back over to an amused Hayley.
"You have your brother's manners." Hales' states smirking.
"And his temper too, so watch it. Where's Elijah?"
My smile falls off my face as pain settles in my chest. I step backward grabbing my chest.
"Beats me. He's long gone."
"What do you mean long gone?"
Bekah watches me and realization sets on her features.
I respond, "The bastard daggered him. I don't know where he stashed him."
Bekah looks appalled.
"Klaus! Get out here and tell me what you've done with our brother, you backstabbing wanker!"
Nik opens a set of double doors and enters the foyer. I move farther away from him and glare. He glances at me with a frown etched on his face.
Serves him right. It's his fault I want to kill everyone.
"Enough of with all the shouting. Little sister, I should have known. I assume the six dead vampires were your doing." Nik needles.
"They were very rude. Trying to victimize a poor, innocent girl trying to find her way to the Quarter. So sorry, were they friends of yours? Oh, that's right, you don't have any friends."
I snicker behind my hand while Hayley full-on belly laughs. Nik glares at us. I glare back in challenge. He wants to be an ass, I'll rival him with being a bitch.
"I do have friends. I have Marcel. You remember him, don't you? Yes, of course, you do. He fancies himself the 'King of the Quarter' now, and he has these rules about killing vampires. It'll be fun to see what type of punishment he comes up with for you."
I growl at Nik. Marcel is getting nowhere near my sister. I have already lost one too many people this week.
"I don't care about Marcel or his rules. What did you do to Elijah? Did you even think about what it would do to Isa? You should have seen how much of a mess she was without you last week."
His face falls when he looks at me before putting his mask back in place. I frown. Where is the Nik I know and love?
"Perhaps he's on holiday or taking a long autumn nap upstairs. Well, go on and have a look around. You remember this place as well as I."
"I remember everything. I remember how the drunken fool of a governor hid away all our vampire sins in exchange for gold. I remember the lavish parties the governor threw as if to impress you. I remember finding a moment of affection with the governor's son, Emil. And I remember even Elijah was happy."
I've already heard this story from Elijah. Of course, I knew he had been with other women. It doesn't mean it made it any easier to hear. I also felt for my sister who every time she thought she found love, her brother would kill him and dagger her.
"Well, he wasn't good enough for you." She glares as Nik.
"Is this how you're going to ask if this child is a girl, Niklaus? Your sister deserves the chance to make mistakes with love. Heaven knows I did and now look where I am!" I glare at him. "You have done nothing but brought me pain since Lijah and I got here. And now you have him stashed somewhere, leaving me with a gaping hole where his mate bond should be!"
Nik has the decency to look guilty. Bekah stands stunned, and Hayley moves to comfort me.
"No one was ever good enough for me, Nik, you made sure of it. Now where the bloody hell is Elijah?"
Nik's phone buzzes. He checks it, answering whoever it was. He makes his way to the door but stops to try and kiss my forehead. I move behind Hayley and he frowns.
"It appears the night is not quite over yet. I'm off for another drink with Marcel."
I frown from my place behind Hayley. I may be pissed with Nik, but that doesn't mean I don't want him around. I haven't even had the time to properly question him on why he daggered Lijah. He's spent more time with Marcel than I've seen him in a week.
"Elijah told me about your plan to take apart Marcel's empire piece by piece. I don't remember it involving you two drinking New Orleans dry together."
Hayley pulls me to sit on the stairs.
"I know you don't have many friends, Rebekah, but what some friends do when they get together they drink. And when they drink, they tell secrets.
"Marcel has somehow found a way to control the entirety of the witches in the Quarter, and I aim to uncover the 'how' so I might take it for myself. Finding Elijah didn't make my to-do list."
I growl. Elijah and I should be his only concern right now. We're his family and his baby needs him. He or she may still be only a few weeks old but it needs his protection and love.
Nik makes his way to the door. "Welcome home little sister. Isa, don't leave the house."
The door shuts and Bekah looks at me closely before coming and sitting down next to me. She pulls me into her warm embrace.
"I'm so sorry, sister. You look like hell, but I promise you, I will find Elijah."
Tears fall from my blue eyes. Rebekah uses her pale thumb to brush them away.
"No tears, love. Everything will work out."
We stand up off the steps. I move to Bekah's side. She turns to look at Hayley.
"You, wolf girl. I'm going to search this house inch by inch until I find what my evil brother has done with my good one. You're helping. Isa, you can too, but please rest when you need to."
We search room after room not finding anything. I would use my mate bond, but I can't feel it. As for my magic, I don't want to risk being exposed. We make our way down a set of spiral stairs.
"The governor had lots of secret rooms. I'll show you his favorite."
Bekah opens a door to a cellar covered in cobwebs I walk over to the coffins looking at them. Hayley follows wearily.
"You think Klaus killed him?" Hayley asks.
Bekah and I laugh. "We can't be killed, silly girl. That doesn't stop Klaus from finding ways to torture us. He has a set of mystical daggers.
"One in the heart end us into a deep slumber. Klaus gets his jollies from keeping us in a box until he decides to pull the dagger out. That's what he did to Elijah."
Bekah walks over to her coffin. "This one's mine."
Hayley looks green. "He keeps your coffin on standby?"
"He likes to be prepared for when one of his family members inevitably disappoint him," I explain.
I look at Bekah with a frown. "Elijah's not here. He must have stashed him elsewhere." I state sadly.
"I feel sick," Hayley says looking worse than earlier.
"Welcome to the family, love. You should've run the second you realized Elijah was gone."
I sigh leaning against Bekah.
"Yeah, well, the witches put some sort of hex on me. As long as I'm carrying this baby, I can't leave New Orleans. If I do, they 'kill' me." I explain.
"Well knowing Klaus, he's planning a box for wolf girl and trying to find a way to dagger you the second you give birth to whatever's cooking in your tum.
"I'm leaving as soon as I find Elijah and you safe in his arms. Being in a box for a decade sucks, trust me. You and Elijah best find a way to break that hex and run. I mean that in the most sisterly way possible."
Rebekah squeezes my shoulder and we make our way back upstairs. I sit on the couch and Hayley goes upstairs.
"Bekah, I need out of here for a little bit. I'm going stir crazy. Plus this place needs to be updated." I whine.
"Fine, I'll help you escape, but you need to take the wolf with you."
I nod and smile giving her a hug. She goes upstairs to unpack and I go in search of Hayley to tell her the plan.
|3rd Person|
Bekah drives Hayley and Isa into the Quarter before leaving to do her own thing.
Isa and Hayley walk down the streets enjoying the all the culture New Orleans has to offer.
As they pass a magic shop, Jardin Gris, Hayley stops walking.
"Hey, I'll be right back. Why don't you go sit down and listen to the music?" Hayley says trying not to be suspicious.
Isa nods making her way away from Hayley. She walks over to Bienville Park and sits down on a bench checking her phone.
⬦⬥⬦
Sophie scrubs a table in Rousseau's. Rebekah slams the door in the kitchen shut with vampire speed. Sophie moves to the kitchen listening for more sounds.
"Hello? Seriously, Marcel? Trying to scare me? I had nothing to do with the attack on your guys last night!" Sophie says scared.
Rebekah speeds into the kitchen hitting a few pots. Sophie grabs a knife off the wooden work table raising her hand. Bekah grabs her hand stopping her from attacking.
"Sophie Deveraux. My brother, Elijah, told me about you. Know who I am?" She asks.
Sophie nods her head. "Yeah, I know."
"Then you know we need to talk."
⬦⬥⬦
The girls go to the cemetery where Rebekah is trying to get information from the she-witch.
"So if I have to guess, knowing Klaus' history, Elijah has a dagger in his chest. It's a magical object, you're a witch. Do a locator spell, locate the dagger, locate Elijah."
Sophie stops walking to look at Rebekah.
"I can't use magic. It's punishable by death-Marcel's rules."
Rebekah glares at the young witch. She doesn't give a flying fuck about Marcel's rules. She wants her brother back, so her sister can be happy again.
"Marcel? What do you think I'm going to do to you if you don't give me what I want?"
Sophie smirks having the upper-hand in the situation.
"Not much. I've been linked, so anything you do to me, you do to Isabel."
Rebekah looks at the witch confused. "Who?"
Sophie raises her eyebrow.
"Oh, right, the mumzy. Well, luckily for you, Elijah seems to care about her, otherwise, I'd break your neck right here."
What she doesn't say is that she loves Isa like her sister and wouldn't jeopardize that.
"How did Marcel get so bloody powerful anyway? He wasn't like this when I left a hundred years ago."
"Marcel has a way to tell whenever there's magic done in the Quarter. The 'how' isn't relevant." Sophie explains.
Rebekah glares at the witch. "I'll tell you what's not bloody relevant- a coven of witches that can't do magic. Here's an idea: move away."
Sophie scoffs at the blonde Original. "We practice ancestral magic. This cemetery is filled with remains of our witch ancestors. Without access to them, we're powerless. If we run, we're leaving our legacy behind, our home, our family."
Rebekah glances at a crypt. "Well, family's overrated. Look at me, I'm back in a city that has given me nothing but heartbreak, looking for a brother who's hellbent on protecting a baby I don't care about."
Sophie watches the Original with doubt.
"I find that hard to believe. You're here, aren't you?"
Rebekah sighs. Of course, she cares about Isa and her well being, she just doesn't like this city. She has friends back in Mystic Falls.
"I'm here for Elijah. The instant I find him, I'm gone. He was the one who idiotically believed this baby would be Niklaus' redemption. And now he's missing, probably at the hands of Klaus himself."
Rebekah looks Sophie in the eyes "And you were foolish enough to believe that Elijah could convince Klaus to go against Marcel when everyone knows they have history."
Sophie nods thinking she knows everything about Klaus and Marcel.
"Klaus sired Marcel, I'm aware."
"You don't understand, Marcel is not just some guy that Klaus turned into a vampire. Klaus loved him like a son. I was there the day they met."
|New Orleans, 1820|
A funeral procession makes its way back to the governor's mansion. A man on a horse whips a little black boy who screams in pain. Nik moves over to the boy watching as he falls to his knees to grab an apple off the ground before throwing it at the man whipping him.
The man raises his whip to hit the boy again only to be hit by something Nik picks up from the ground throwing it at him, killing him on impact.
Rebekah and Elijah watch with baited breath as their brother approaches the boy.
Nik gets down to the boys level. "What's your name?" He asks.
The boy looks at the ground. "Don't got one. Mamma wouldn't name me till I turned ten, 'case the fever took me, then it took her."
Niklaus frowns before smiling. "You're a survivor and survivors need names. How about Marcellus?"
"Marcellus?" The boy asks.
"It comes from Mars, the god of war, and it means little warrior."
Niklaus stands and holds out his hand to Marcellus. He hesitates but takes it anyway with a smile gracing his lips.
Elijah looks at Rebekah with a grin. "Perhaps there is hope for our brother after all."
|Present|
"Klaus saw himself in that boy. He remembered how our father used to beat him. He too was the bastard child of a man who saw him as nothing but a beast. And that is why your plan will fail. All you've done is brought back, two long-lost souls. Without Elijah between them, who knows what they'll do."
Rebekah leaves to collect her sister and the she-wolf, leaving Sophie to think.
Marcel sits at a bar drinking and waiting for Niklaus.
"Well, this is a far cry from last nights party," Nik says sitting with his friend.
He seems Cami sitting by herself with books and a notepad.
"Ah in pursuit of the bartenders from 'Rousseau's', I see."
Marcel smirks raising his glass to his lips. "She's a work in progress."
A waitress brings Nik a drink. "And yet here you are, pinning over her when you should be eating her for lunch. Oh, she must be special."
Marcel smiles and shakes his head. He didn't call him here for girl troubles.
"Business first. The coroner called. He's got my number in case any dead tourists show up."
"Let me guess - dead tourists with a stamp on the hand and vampire blood in their veins."
Nik looks at Marcel. He has a good system going to protect himself and his men.
"It happens. Someone takes a drunken tumble off a balcony, or into the Mississippi... And today I got two of them to deal with."
Hearing Cami gathering her things, Nik gets up and makes his way over to the blonde scholar.
"Excuse me, love. What's that your studying?" he asks flirtatiously.
"Abnormal psychology."
Klaus smirks. "Abnormal psychology, well. Perhaps you can diagnose my friend over here. He's been a little depressed, can't keep his mind off a girl. He tells me she's a queen, fit for a king.
"I think he should cut his losses and move on. What's your professional opinion?"
Cami looks at Marcel who has a smirk on his face. He turns up his charm flashing his pearly white teeth.
"Be a nice guy, and maybe the opportunity will present itself some day."
She rushes out of the bar and both men grin at their fail of seducing Cami into going out with Marcel.
"Mm, harsh."
"I daresay I lost my touch. Or you've lost yours." Klaus deadpans.
Both men smile at each other sipping their drinks.
⬦⬥⬦
Klaus and Marcel leave the bar to go deal with the two transitioning vampires. Marcel takes Klaus to an old garage.
"You take me to the nicest places." Klaus deadpans.
Thierry and Diego two of Marcel's inner circle opens the trunk of the van revealing the two victims.
"Welcome to the land of the newly dead. I won't waste your time." Marcel glances over at Thierry. "I trust you filled them in?"
"To be honest, not much in the way of potential here." He responds, looking at the two in the van.
"Yeah, well, I just lost six night-walkers. I got holes to fill."
Nik smirks knowing that it's Rebekah's fault that he lost six guys. Not that he'll tell him that. It would ruin his plan.
"I'll keep this quick. That itch you feel? That's the need to feed coming on strong, a hunger for human blood. Drink it - you're a vampire. Don't - you die. Again. This time for good. Right here in a body bag."
Marcel turns around to look at his sire. "Hey, what do you think, cute dorky girl or gay best friend?"
Klaus shrugs his shoulders not really caring. He wants to get home to his mate. "Dealer's choice."
"Dealer's choice, okay."
Marcel pulls a coin out of his pocket showing it to the transitioning vampires. It's bigger than an average coin and is gold in color.
"Whoever picks up this coin gets to live forever. The other dies."
He puts the coin in between the two. The man glances at it and the girl grabs it.
"Damn girl! I said damn!"
The man looks at his friend with hurt on his face. He thought that they would be both or nothing.
"How could you?" Josh asks with hurt in his voice.
"Get over it, Josh. It's not like I had a choice. You would've done the same thing, but you're such a little-"
Marcel speeds over to the female and snaps her neck with one quick motion.
"Let her die in cold storage. Got a thing about people who betray their own friends. C'mon. Let's go for a ride."
"Go!"
Rebekah watches from a balcony as Nik loads Josh into a car. Marcel talks on his cell phone. He ends his call and feels Rebekah watching him.
"Rebekah Mikaelson. Come to teach me another lesson? Last time I saw you, Royal Street was burning and you all were fleeing from the city from your daddy."
Rebekah frowns. "I thought you were dead."
Marcel shakes his head angry that Nik didn't tell him Rebekah was back in town.
"You never looked back to find out. Why are you here?"
Rebekah moves closer to Marcel studying him. "Elijah. I think Klaus has done something with him."
Marcel glares at her. He knows better than to get involved with their problems.
"Stop. Stop right there. If there is one thing I learned about you Mikaelson's, it's don't get in the middle of family feuding. Doesn't end well.
|New Orleans 1830s|
Marcel and Nik stand in the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound.
"There is nothing going on between us. I swear it on my life."
"Your life means something to me. Give me the privilege of honesty or that will cease to be the case." Nik says looking at Marcel.
"I like her. And I think it's mutual, but I haven't done anything about it. I wouldn't, not-"
Klaus stares at Marcel with a gleam of anger. "And you won't. I love my sister, but she lacks fortune when it comes to men. They come and go for her, but I am constant. She's family."
"You said I was family. I have begged you to turn me into a vampire." Marcel states getting angry himself.
"And I told you, I will turn you when you're ready. You go near Rebekah again and you never will be."
|Present|
Rebekah laughs with malice. "Even after all you've achieved, you're still scared of him?"
Marcel glares. "I'm not scared of anyone."
"If I find out you know where Elijah is, you needn't fear Klaus - I'll kill you myself." She growls out.
"Nostalgia's a blast and all, but I can't help you. It was nice seeing you though. Good luck finding what you're looking for." He says and jumps off the balcony leaving Rebekah standing there.
⬦⬥⬦
Hayley walks up to the Jardin Gris as the shopkeeper starts to lock the doors.
"Hey, hey!" She calls out to the woman.
"We're closed, sorry."
Hayley sigh looking down at the ground knowing what she's planning is wrong.
"I just need one teeny, tiny little herb. Please."
The woman sighs taking pity on the woman in front of her.
"Which herb?"
Hayley takes a deep breath trying to calm her nerves.
"Crushed Aconite flower."
The witch looks up surprised not expecting that. "Wolfsbane? That's a poison. You're gonna kill a wolf?"
Hayley taps her foot and looks at her own stomach. "Just a little one."
"Give me a minute."
The witch goes inside to collect the herb leaving Hayley outside deciding if she truly wants to do this to the person she's befriended. Yes, Hayley decides. It's the best option. Isa can get out of this city and move on with her life without her bastard of a mate. She stays protected by Rebekah and Elijah.
The witch comes back out of the shop with two vials in her hands.
"Cut it with some Jimson weed. A few drops in some hot tea - that should do it."
Hayley hands the woman some money. "Here."
The woman shakes her head no. "It's an ugly town for wolves. You're doing the right thing."
Then why does it feel so bad? Hayley thinks to herself.
Hayley walks away in search of tea and her friend.
The witch pulls out her cell phone to make a call.
"Hey, wanna gain points? Tell Marcel there's a werewolf in the Quarter."
⬦⬥⬦
Marcel walks into a bar, searching for Nik with an annoyed look on his face.
"I know that face - woman trouble."
Marcel glares at Nik not happy at all about another Original being in town.
"You're a dick you know that? Why didn't you tell me Rebekah was back in town?"
Nik smirks. So his devious plan of letting the two find each other worked.
"Well, I thought it would be more amusing for you to find out yourself."
Marcel sighs taking a sip of his drink. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"Only that she's grown considerably more insane in the last century." He states deadpans.
Marcel looks at him, studying him as he asks his next question. "Or maybe that it was her who killed my guys?"
Nik shakes his head in denial trying to throw off Marcel's track. "Doubtful. Unless that biker bar is frequented by small-town, high school quarterbacks, I can't imagine she'd be interested."
Marcel's phone rings and he answers it. Nik listens in.
"Yeah?"
"Just got a tip - someone saw two werewolves in Bienville Park."
Nik's eyes go wide thinking about Isa and Hayley. They wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the house, would they? Who was he kidding, of course they would. Isa's pissed at him and Hayley will go wherever she goes.
"Get a couple of night-walkers to run them down. Bring me back their heads."
Nik tries to stay calm. "Well, I guess that solves the mystery of the murdered riffraff. At least my sister's in the clear."
Marcel finishes his drink. "About that, I don't have time for Mikaelson family drama. You're my guest - keep your sister in line."
Marcel makes his way out to leave. "I'd have a better chance of draining the Mississippi with a straw!" Nik yells.
|Isabel|
I sit on a bench waiting for Hayley to return. I feel her coming up behind me and turn around. She holds two to go cups of a steaming liquid.
She moves to sit on the bench next to me and I take the offered drink.
"Thank you."
She smiles. I lift the drink to my lips and pause not feeling right about drinking it. Hayley watches me with her peripheral vision. Unsure why she's watching me, I lower the cup back down to my lap.
"Dumb move, coming into the Quarter. You're coming with me, wolves." A vampire says coming close to Hayley and me.
I growl. "I have had it up to here with vampires telling me what to do!" I yell and throw the contents of my drink onto one of them.
He roars in pain. Hayley and I turn around to make an escape only to come face to face with two more vampires. I flash forward and break one's neck. Hayley rips a heart out of another.
"Now that's no way to treat a pregnant lady and her friend. I do hate bad manners."
Rebekah throws the last vampire's heart on the ground. Hayley looks at her in shock.
⬦⬥⬦
Nik throws the bodies of the vampires in a pile in the yard. Hayley and I stand and watch as he berates Rebekah, Hayley, and me.
"This is why I told you to never leave the house. Werewolves are banned in the Quarter. I had a plan, and your little nighttime stroll put it all in peril! Leave him!" Nik shouts at Rebekah as she moves to kill the last living vampire but stops, looking at Nik.
"You've done enough, don't you think? Leaving a trail of dead bodies like a roadmap to my front door?"
Bekah walks over and stands beside me with her arms crossed. I copy her movement not liking Nik's tone.
"If I hadn't overheard this lot bragging about werewolf heads, everyone here would be screwed. And don't give me that crap about having a plan. You've had all the time in the world to execute a plan, and no one's seen you do a damn thing.
"Elijah made a deal to protect your child and mate so that they could save you from your selfish, rotten self. But you obviously don't give a damn about them or Elijah, because what have you done to honor it?" Bekah needles.
I growl myself knowing that what Bekah said is true. If he truly has a plan he should've shared it with me. We are equals and I will demand to be treated as such.
My first priority from this moment forward will be for my baby. Screw Nik and his plans. If he doesn't want to be a part of his child's life, then that's his problem. I'm not going to let him dictate everything I do in his so-called plan to get his kingdom back. I may be a queen, but I don't need a king.
"I have done everything. Let me spell it out for you, shall I? From the day I arrived, Marcel hasn't trusted me. From day one, he's had his vampires ingest toxic vervain, which as you know, little sister, protects them from my mind control."
I shake my head at him. Mind control isn't always going to work. You have to know how to charm people into following you, which is a specialty he lacks.
"I needed a spy, someone on the inside with me who Marcel would never suspect. So I created a day zero and got there first. Marcel has just lost six vampires, thanks to your little murder spree, he needed new recruits. So, made the new one mine before he'd have even a drop of vervain.
If he would have just asked for help, we could have avoided all his plans to try and make a spy.
"And this one - I'm gonna drain him of vervain, compel him to believe his mates found religion and moved to Utah so that he can explain to Marcel why he lost three more vampires tonight."
He grabs the last living vampire and pulls him into the house. Hayley, Bekah, and I follow. I move into the foyer standing close to Hayley.
"Does anyone have any more questions? No? Good, because I have a question. Isa, Hayley, what were you even doing in the bloody French Quarter in the first place? Answer me!"
I cringe and move farther away from him. I think about how to answer him without upsetting him further.
"Leave her be," Bekah says trying to diffuse the situation.
"I just needed some time to myself. Hayley shouldn't have left my side-"
"You wanna know what I was doing? I was buying poison so that I could put your little baby out of its misery-" Hayley says cutting me off.
"You did what!" I scream as Nik rushes forward grabbing Hayley and me by the neck pushing us both against the wall."
I struggle to try to get out of his grasp. I breathe deeply grabbing at his hand.
"Nik! Nik!" Bekah runs at him and rips Nik's hand off my throat. I gasp sliding down the wall, sitting trying to catch my breath.
"Keep your hands off her! She is pregnant for God's sake! All of this bluster about not wanting the child and the second someone decides to get rid of it? She didn't even know. Did you miss that?"
Bekah moves to look him in the eyes, he lets go of Hayley who coughs and falls to her knees. I look at her and glare.
When was she planning on poisoning me? Wait, the tea I didn't drink. She must have put in that.
"It's okay to care. It's okay to want something. That's all Elijah was trying to do, all he's ever wanted for you. All we've ever wanted."
I get up and run over to Bekah nodding. She's right, he is scared to care. I move and hug him, letting tears stream down my face. He envelopes me in his arms and sits down on the steps. Bekah sits beside him. I'm still royally pissed at him but right now I need comfort.
Why would Hayley try what she did? It's not her choice. She can leave at any time if she doesn't want to be here but, don't try to hurt me in the process.
"Hayley, you have five minutes to get out of my sight or I'm going to rip your head off. What you did was beyond wrong. You're so lucky I didn't drink that tea!" I growl out.
Hayley gets off the floor and rushes out into the living room. Nik calms down slightly now that she's not in the room.
"I gave Elijah to Marcel."
I whip my head up to look at him. He gave our enemy my other mate? I growl lowly moving out of his arms and standing to look at him.
"What?" Bekah needles.
Nik looks me in the eyes, probably seeing all the emotions moving through them like a tornado.
"Marcel was getting nervous. It's bad enough one Original returned to town, but two? His crew was getting antsy. He wanted Elijah gone. So, I... gave him a peace offering."
I glare at him but can see his point of view. He didn't want to wage a war too soon by having his brother here.
"You bartered our brother?"
I sigh and put a hand on her shoulder, shaking my head. We'll get him back, that I know for sure. We just have to trust Nik... no matter how sad we are.
"I have a plan. Gain Marcel's trust, dismantle his empire, honor Elijah's wish that the child is born. I am executing that plan the only way I know how. If you don't like it, there's the door. See if I care."
Nik gets up off the stairs and leaves to go to his room. I sigh and look at Bekah.
"We'll get him back, I promise. Now, I need you to find whatever Hayley tried to poison me with. I don't trust her."
Bekah nods and goes into the living room.
⬦⬥⬦
I walk out onto the wrap around porch and find Bekah sitting on a rocking chair. I sit down next to her. She looks at me and tosses two vials at me. I catch them. I open one of them and am hit with the scent of wolfsbane. I grimace and put the lid back on.
"You know Marcel has Elijah. So, I have a gift for you so you can get your brother, my mate, back."
I reach down into my boot and pull out both daggers. Bekah's eyes widen.
"Oh, my god."
I smile. "I found them under your coffin. Now there's nothing stopping you from getting Lijah back."
I pass the daggers over to her. She smiles a real smile and not the bitch smile I'm used to seeing on her face. I giggle going back inside.
I go upstairs to my room and place the to vials on the chest at the foot of the bed. I sigh and lay back.
A soft knock comes from my door and I look up seeing Hayley. I groan and flop back against the pillows.
"Can we talk?" She asks timidly.
I give her a thumbs up. She moves to sit in the chair in the corner of the room.
"What were you thinking Hales? Why would you try to kill the one thing that's keeping me going right now?"
She sighs and puts her head in her hands. "I know it was wrong, but this child has brought you nothing but pain since you found out. I thought maybe you would rather get your life back on track. It was wrong and not my call and I'm so, so sorry."
I growl under my breath. "Hales, did I show any signs of not wanting this child? No. But I forgive you because you failed... but it's also going to take a while for me to trust you again."
She nods. I close my eyes trying to rid myself of my stress. I hear Hayley get up and leave the room.
|3rd Person|
Marcel is on a date with Camille. He grabs a bottle of wine and moves to sit across from the blonde.
"I sent everyone home for the night. I am your humble host." He says with a smile on his face.
"Oh... okay. Extra points for flair."
Cami shifts in her seat, watching Marcel as he fills her glass.
"And the night's just starting. What made you decide to come?" He needles.
Cami smiles. "Everyone deserves a chance."
Unbeknownst to the pair, Rebekah is waiting for her chance to interrupt. She throws the restaurant doors open and runs inside.
"You lied to me. Where's my brother?"
Marcel sighs at the interruption but doesn't stop her.
"Hello to you too. Cami, Rebekah - Rebekah, Cami." He introduces reluctantly.
Rebekah smirks looking at Camie. "I see you still have a thing for blondes."
Cami gets annoyed with the Original. "Hey-"
Rebekah no longer wanting to deal with Marcel's shit, rushes at him with vampire speed, pinning him to the wall by his neck.
"Tell me where Elijah is." She growls.
Cami looks at the two in fear along with the confusion as to how this happened.
"What the hell is going on?"
Rebekah puts more pressure on Marcel's throat. "Tell me where he is or I will kill you!"
Marcel gets a faraway look and shakes his head.
"No, you won't." He says smugly.
"Perhaps not." She says thinking.
Smirking she lets go of Marcel and flashes over to Cami and pins her against the wall instead.
"But I will kill her."
Marcel's eyes fill with panic for the girl he's falling for.
"Let her go. You won. I'll take you to see Elijah." Marcel states defeated.
Rebekah releases Cami who coughs and splutters.
"What the hell are you people?" She asks in fear.
Marcel moves to the woman slowly, putting a hand on her shoulder lightly, making her look into his eyes.
"Shh, it's okay. Go home, forget all of this, and just know I'll make it up to you. I promise."
He lets go of her and turns to look at Rebekah. "You wanna see Elijah? Fine. Follow me."
Rebekah follows him out of the restaurant and leaves Cami standing alone confused.
⬦⬥⬦
Marcel brings Rebekah to an old church and leads her up a set of steps to a door. He enters the room. Rebekah sees Elijah's coffins but is stuck on the other side of the door.
"Invite me in."
Marcel smiles wide. "Gotta ask the lady of the house. Davina, come on out, sweetheart."
Divina walks into the room and watches the blonde Original carefully.
"Invite her in."
"Come in."
Rebekah steps into the room and strides over to her brother's coffin. She opens the lid and sighs seeing the dagger in his heart. This is the last place her brother should be and she knows it. She reaches for the dagger and grips the handle and slowly pulls it out.
"I wouldn't do that," Davina says and Rebekah stops being magically compelled.
"Who the hell are you?" Rebekah asks turning to look at the witch.
Davina looks away from her and at her friend. "She's an old one, isn't she?"
Marcel nods looking at Rebekah with anger. "Yeah. Rebekah is an Original, which means she can't be killed."
Davina senses Marcel's anger and also watches the Original.
"She doesn't seem very nice."
"She can be... but she hasn't been very nice to me tonight."
Davina grins and looks at the Original. "Then I'm afraid you need to leave."
She cues up her magic and throws Rebekah out of the door. Rebekah tumbles and is knocked out.
⬦⬥⬦
Rebekah wakes up in a room she hasn't seen in a hundred years. She groans and sits up.
"Welcome back, Rebekah. You were out for quite a while."
"Where am I? How did I get here?" She needles.
Marcel sighs looking at his past lover.
"You upset Davina. I'm glad you two finally got to meet. Now you know what you're dealing with."
Rebekah looks around the room. "Is this my old room?"
"Oh, it's mine now. Just like this town is mine, Davina's mine, and Elijah is mine until I feel like giving him back. What was once yours, what was once your brother's - it's mine."
Marcel walks towards the door before turning to look at Rebekah once more. "And don't ever touch Cami again."
|Isabel|
Nik walks into my room quietly not knowing I'm awake. He grabs one of the vials off of the cedar chest and sniffs it.
"I didn't ingest it. I asked Bekah to retrieve it for me so I could dispose of it."
He sighs in relief and moves to sit at the foot of the bed. I let him, moving so I can rest my head in his lap.
"You're awake."
I hum and turn my head into his chest taking a deep breath of him.
"I could barely sleep. Not having both of you to hold me. Also, this house is like a swamp sauna." I giggle.
He smiles and runs his fingers through my raven hair. "What stopped you from drinking it? You could have been free of all this... of me."
I gasp. I never want to be without him. No matter how angry I am with him.
"Something didn't seem right when Hayley gave me the drink with the poison. And when I was fighting off those vampires, it clicked and I realized I wasn't just protecting myself. I have a child within me that needs protecting as well. I wouldn't let anyone hurt it."
I sit up and look him in his blue-green eyes. "And you, I don't care how angry or upset I am with you, I would never want to be without you. I love you, even your sadistic side."
He smiles and pulls me in for a kiss. I kiss back eagerly.
"It's time to fight my wolf."
"I love you Nik. So much that I will stand by your side through thick and thin. I want to help you. Marcel doesn't know who I am and I could be useful. I don't want to be trapped here all the time."
"Little Wolf..."
"No, you know my terms. I want to help you. You want to be king, well I want to be queen and this queen wants to help."
Nik smirks and lifts me up off the bed. "Then my queen, you shall help. Try and get some more sleep. I'll have someone see to fix the air conditioning."
I lay back down and close my eyes feeling myself drift to sleep.
|3rd Person|
Nik leaves Isa's room and makes his way downstairs as his sister enters.
"You were right. The girl, Cami - she's the key. Marcel likes her, and because of that, I got to see the secret weapon of his that you've been going on about."
Nik smirks. "Well don't stand on ceremony. What is it?"
"It's not a 'what', it's a 'who'. A girl, Davina. She can't be more than sixteen, and I have never felt power like that."
Nik raises an eyebrow in surprise. "A witch."
Bekah shakes her head and moves towards the living room. Nik follows her.
"She's not just a witch, she's something I've never seen before, something beyond powerful, and now because of you, she has Elijah. Who knows what she could do to him."
Nik frowns not liking the idea of his brother being with someone so powerful.
"Where is she."
Bekah looks around confused. "That clever bitch. I don't know."
"What's wrong?" Nik needles.
"She's wiped my memory of the location. Marcel possess a weapon bigger and more powerful than an Original, and you handed our brother over to him! How many times will Elijah forgive you? How long until his hope for your redemption finally dies?"
Nik looks down with anger and shame. "I did what I had to do! Marcel took our home!"
Bekah gets angry too. Fed up with her brother and this city.
"And our home is worthless without family. I am finding Elijah - whatever it takes. Are you going to help?"
"Whatever it takes."
⬦⬥⬦
Marcel walks into Davina's "room" which is really the attic of the of the church. He watches as Davina draws at her easel.
"I'm sorry about that unpleasantness."
Davia shakes her head. "She doesn't scare me. None of them do."
Marcel nods. "I didn't think they would, honey. But, the thing is, it seems like they're here to stay."
"They don't belong here." She says looking at her friend.
"Might be kinda hard to convince them of that... which is why I need to ask you for a favor. I'm gonna need you to figure out how to kill an Original."
⚜️☽⚜️
♕ I'm so sorry for the late update. I was having computer issues.
♕ I hope you enjoyed this chapter what did you think of the Hayley and Isa apology?
♕Also the Isa/Nik comfort scene after finding the poison?
♕Next chapter: Some more Nik/Isa scenes (They need a ship name. What should it be?)
♕New revelations, some more annoying witches, a party, and murder.
ALSO, PLEASE DON'T ASK FOR UPDATES!
It takes me a while to write and type up each chapter and then find gifs
I will update as soon as I finish a new chapter.
⚜️☽⚜️