8 | the king of new orleans
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀SOFT MURMURS ESCAPED THE MOUTH OF A BLONDE AS SHE FLIPPED THROUGH A SPELL BOOK. A WOMAN WATCHED HER ━ her face cold and uncaring. Impatience was shown in the way she rapped her fingertips against the table in a steady tempo.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I've tried sending her messages, but I've gotten no responses," the girl, Visily, finally spoke. Her voice was steady ━ without emotion. "What do you think we need to do?" She looked up, her eyes landing on her Regent.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"The vampires are hosting a party tonight. Go there, get a message to my daughter. We need that hybrid dog on a tight leash, lest it bites the feeding hand." Valeriya Romanov had a commanding voice like no other. Her back was straight, her eyes icy. She demanded respect.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Visily raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "You don't think it's dangerous." It was more a question than a statement.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Of course it isn't, he would never think of hurting her." Valeriya stood from where she had been sitting on a plush armchair. "Either she does this for me, or she can say goodbye to any sense of family that she has left. Make that clear to her, will you?"
♔
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren allowed her eyes to look over the crowd below as she followed Klaus up onto a balcony. A man waited there, his caramel skin glowing in the flashing lights. The vibrato from the speakers pounded within her chest.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She felt powerful ━ electrified. Like she could do anything.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren turned her eyes back to the group below and watched them intently. She could see sweat sheening on the skin of the humans as they danced erratically ━ some on beat with the music, and others the complete opposite.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The dance floor looked like chaos, but she found herself drawn toward it. Vitality pulsed from it, entrancing her and making her want to leap from the balcony and join the crowd.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She had fallen a bit behind Klaus as she was watching the dancers, so when a hand pressed a note against her palm she flinched violently away from it. The touch sent a rush of power through her veins ━ power she had unintentionally stolen.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Twisting violently around, she looked for the flash of blonde that had delivered the message ━ only to see no one around her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The messenger was gone.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Furrowing her eyebrows, she unraveled the note and read it quickly.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Make him want you," it read, " ━ V."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀They wanted her to seduce the Hybrid. To what end? She cursed quietly under her breath, before crumpling the note in her palm. Fuck them, she thought. They traded me away to the French Quarter Coven like I was nothing.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus had called her name once or twice, though the girl seemed to not be listening. "Give me a moment," he said to Marcel before walking quickly toward Wren, grabbing her by the arm. "Have you not been listening to me, Wren?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She looked nervous, sweat beading on her brow. "No," she said softly ━ softer than she'd ever spoken around him. Her eyes met his, a silent battle of wills. She couldn't seem to look directly at him; her eyes danced over his face.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Am I interrupting something?" a grinning man spoke from beside Klaus. He watched Wren closely, looking for any defining marks that could tell him who she was. The Hybrid didn't escort just any old human to a party full of vampires.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I suppose introductions are in order. Marcel, this is Wren." Klaus gestured to the blonde. "Wren, this is Marcel ━ my longtime friend and ally."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren snapped out of her thoughts and offered Marcel a smile. "Nice to finally meet you," she said confidently. "Nik has told me a lot about you."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Marcel's eyebrows shot up. "Has he now?" he smirked over at Klaus. "We'll have to talk about just how much he divulged over drinks."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus growled in his chest, moving closer to Wren.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The witch ignored him, instead widening her smile at the King of New Orleans. "I'd love to." She didn't blink an eye as she silently twisted her arm free of Klaus' hold. "Quite a party you've got here."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I've been told I throw mean parties ━ I'm even more generous when my sire and his girl come to town." Marcel leaned against the railing next to Wren, looking out over the dancing bodies. "Take it from me, he has a permanent stick up his ass. Don't get on his bad side."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren looked over her shoulder at Klaus, who had eyes like a growing storm as he watched the two of them. "I wouldn't dream of it," she smirked. If anything, he looked even more pissed.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Later, when she was at the bar, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He was right behind her. She breathed in, closing her eyes, fighting the urge to lean into him. This mate bond was a bitch.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren turned, meeting his eyes. "I think he knows about me, Nik." She looked around the crowd, feeling goosebumps raise on her arms. "He's had his men watching me since I walked through the doors."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She wasn't lying. There were three men who she could pick out from the crowd at any given time. They weren't very good at blending.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus pushed himself closer to her as dancers shoved against his back. To anybody else, they looked like two horny people getting it on in the middle of a club. And that's exactly what Valeriya wanted ━ the Hybrid distracted.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Even if she wasn't trying to play into her mother's plans, she was anyway. But to what end? She wondered again.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Where?" Klaus asked her, his face hovering inches from her ear. His hands sat on either side of her, clenched around the metal bar to the point where it had begun to cave beneath his fingers. His instincts were taking over.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren subtly glanced around. "Three o'clock," she said, "maroon shirt, moon tattoo on his neck." She took another look. "Twelve, black shirt, red hair." One last glance. "Nine, leather and metal."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus took her drink from behind her, his chest brushing against her shoulder as he reached around. He took a quick look around, zeroing in on the men who were watching his mate. "Let's go."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"What are you talking about?" Wren pulled her hand away as he reached for it. "If we leave now, it'll look suspicious. Who knows if he's even listening right now?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"How do you suppose I protect you, Wren? If Marcel wants information on you, he will get it one way or another. Him being suspicious of you puts my plans in jeopardy."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You keeping me a secret puts our plans in jeopardy, Niklaus." She took her drink from his hand, returning it to its position on the counter. "Come on." She grabbed his hand and began to pull him with her.
♔
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Visily watched from the balcony, watching the way Wren played the part perfectly. The girl's hands were resting on her mate's biceps, his hands on her waist. She was a good actress.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She sighed and pulled her phone out, dialing the number that she had labeled as 'Auntie'. It rang three times before the other side connected.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Speak quickly, and be sure to have good news." The commanding voice came across the line, gelid and hard. "I don't like to be disappointed."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"She's complying," she spoke softly. Her eyes stayed glued to her cousin's body as the girl stuck close to the Hybrid. "He is adequately distracted." She looked around at Marcel's lackeys. "Though I suspect it won't be for long, considering the henchmen will be descending any minute now."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Wonderful." Valeriya's voice was smug. "Make sure my daughter stays breathing. No blood of mine will be slain by the hands of a vampire."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀After the woman hung up, Visily gave her phone a snide glance ━ as if the Regent could see her. "Tell that to Grandma," she snorted. Sighing, she tucked her phone away and left before the screams echoed around the stone courtyard.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The screams rang for blood ━ and for death. She had no interest in either.