Exhaustion pulled at Elijah's muscles as he trudged into the house. It had been a long day of wrangling his brother and making reparations for his mistakes. The only thing that kept him going was the thought that you would be waiting for him at the end of the day.
As the door slammed shut behind him, he stopped himself before calling for you. Something was wrong. Beyond the fact you didn't meet him at the door, it was unnaturally quiet. And...was that blood? Elijah inhaled deeply. Your blood to be precise.
A growl rose from deep in his chest but he bit it back. The smell wasn't strong enough for you to be in any danger of bleeding out. He followed the normally intoxicating aroma through the house. Now, it made a knot of worry settle in his chest.
He paused in the doorway of the dining room, his eyes meeting yours before darting over to the man holding you captive. "Gregory." His tone dripped with distaste. The vampire was little more than a peon grabbing for power that wasn't his. Elijah had convinced Niklaus to show mercy and spare the younger vampire. Obviously, that had been a mistake.
"Hello, Elijah," the man said with a grin that showed far too many teeth. "I thought you might be more amenable to the request I made earlier if I had something to bargain with."
Barely contained rage simmered urging Elijah to defend his mate. When he glanced back to you however you rolled your eyes to express your boredom with your current circumstance. Obviously, you didn't consider Gregory much of a threat. The corner of his mouth kicked up into a smirk before he could stop it. God, he loved you.
Turning his attention back your captor, the small smile quickly slipped away. "Why do I smell my wife's blood?"
"Thought I'd help myself to a snack is all. But don't worry, I was respectful. Put it in a cup and everything."
The vermin gestured to the table beside him where one of your favorite teacups rested. Dark red blood filled the cup, some spilling over onto the saucer beneath. The fool actually reached for the it then, prepared to sample that which was not freely given.
Elijah launched himself at the other vampire and pinned him to the wall. "That doesn't belong to you." His voice was low, fierce. Before Gregory could even respond, Elijah ripped the heart from his chest, letting body and heart fall at his feet.
He was at your side in a blink. "Are you all right, Y/N?"
You smiled at him and placed a hand against the side of his face. "Of course."
Catching sight of the bandage on your arm, he grabbed your arm and turned it so he could examine it. "Is it deep?" he asked.
"You can heal me," you answered with a little shrug as if it didn't really matter. And to you it didn't. As a member of the Mikaelson family you had experienced more than your fair share of vicious enemies and life-threatening encounters. You knew Gregory had been no real threat.
He rested his forehead against yours. "Let's go upstairs. I'll have Niklaus send someone to see to the mess."
You hummed a sound of agreement, making it to the stairs before realizing Elijah wasn't with you. With a frown you turned back to see him sipping from the teacup that had been left on the table. "Elijah?"
He looked up in surprise before gifting you with that beautiful grin of his. "It seemed a shame to let it go to waste."