18 | the blade of sacrifice
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀WREN WOKE UP WITH A GASP, SHOOTING UP IN BED LIKE LIGHTNING. THE SLUMBERING HYBRID NEXT TO HER JERKED AWAKE, a growl coming from his chest. It sounded like thunder as it reverberated around the room.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Ow," she whispered, jerking her arm away from Klaus as he hovered over her like a wolf guarding its kill. His hold had tightened on her considerably, to the point where it was painful. "Niklaus," she grunted as his hand landed on her calf.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I smell blood," he grunted, "are you hurt?" He pulled the covers away from her, searching for the source of the metallic scent.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren winced as she ran her fingers along a cut on her neck. It was at the base, closer to her collarbone. A thin, clean slice had been made. "Apparently, yeah." She hissed as his fingers found the cut.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"What made that?" he wondered to himself as he wiped away the blood that dripped from it. "Here, love." He moved to bite into his wrist.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren grabbed his hand, moving it away from his face. "Seriously? I'm not gonna die if I have a little cut. Sophie probably just slipped while she was cooking or something." The location was a bit odd.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"She slipped and cut her neck open?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren rolled her eyes, weaseling her way out from beneath him. "Stop being dramatic." Her joints popped as she stood from the bed, making another wince appear on her features. "Man, I'm like a ninety-year-old, I swear."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I doubt a ninety-year-old would have a physique like yours, darling."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Is that your way of saying you like my body?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"That should be unspoken."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren arched an eyebrow. "Thanks, then. I guess." She shook her head and headed to his bathroom to find a band-aid. She pulled open the drawers, checked the shelves, and looked behind the mirror.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Of course.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She walked back out into the room with a new-found-attitude. "I should've known you wouldn't have any band-aids. Screw the human, right?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus didn't move from his position on the bed. He rolled his eyes, looking toward the ceiling. "And I was to know that you would be sleeping in my room?" He got up, disappearing in a flash. Seconds later he was back, a white box in his hand and a cloth in the other. "Sit down."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Biting the inside of her lip, Wren plopped down on the foot of the bed. "I can put my own band-aid on."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'm sure you could, love." His gentle fingers swiped at the blood, cleaning the cut expertly.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The cold water from the cloth soothed the burning sensation, but the rough fabric made Wren wince.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She stared at him for a moment, wondering how a creature as rough and unyielding as he could be so tender. "Thank you."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"It's only a band-aid."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren scoffed. "Plus the countless times you've kept my heart beating. This cut could've gotten infected without you - you never know." She smirked as he shook his head.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Well, rest assured that it won't kill you." He finished putting the band-aid on. His fingers lingered on her collar, feeling her pulse against them. It was strong - steady. He felt it skip when he raised his eyes to hers.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"My hero," she grinned as he moved away from her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'm far from being the hero, darling." He placed the rag and bandages on a side table before moving to a closet. He pulled his shirt off as he went, revealing his tense muscles as he moved.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren sucked on her lip, imagining the way they would feel beneath her fingers.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He looked over at her as he was rounding the corner, the corner of his lip curling up. "Feel free to continue gawking," he smirked.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren's mouth fell open. Her face burned as she yanked her eyes away from him and stood. "I'm going to get a shower."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You could join me," he suggested, "I'm sure Elijah would appreciate the decline in monthly plumbing fees."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren put her hands over her ears. "I can't hear you," she sang as she headed for the door.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina stood in the hall, an unamused look on her face. "Don't worry, I heard everything." She shook her head, biting her tongue to keep from laughing.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Oh, hell." Wren held back a laugh. "Just forget all of that." She waved a hand flippantly as she headed down the hall. "You gonna make breakfast?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Sure, I'll go cook whatever there is left in that wasteland of a kitchen." Nina shook her head and walked downstairs.
♔
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren walked around the house, searching for her mate. He was missing, along with Elijah. "Rebekah?" she called out loudly, furrowing her eyebrows.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"What is it?" the blonde appeared out of nowhere. "I'm trying to call a carpet-cleaning service. The boys bloodied up a two-hundred-year-old carpet and then left without fixing it."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Where'd they go?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Elijah's giving the witch a couple spells from my mother's grimoire, and Klaus is distracting anyone who could get in their way." She looked away, pursing her lips. "Thick as thieves, those two." She didn't seem happy about that.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren winced as her cut began to burn. "Ow," she hissed, rubbing at it with her fingers. "It's like a papercut from hell."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Where'd you get that?" Rebekah wondered, furrowing her eyebrows.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren shrugged. "Happened while I was sleeping." She swallowed as the burn began to spread, opening her mouth to speak again. "Oh..." She scratched at her collar. "This really stings."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Wren?" Rebekah's voice spoke concern as she watched the girl's eyes shut briefly. Her heartbeat had skyrocketed. "Oh, bloody hell." She pulled out her phone, dialing Nik. As soon as he picked up, she went on a rant. "Wren's acting strangely, her heartbeat is going nuts and she looks like she's about to pass out."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"We're with Sophie now, she's about to tell me exactly what it is that the witch did to her and then she is going to lose her head." Klaus' voice was calm, but the anger underneath was undeniable. He hung up the phone, placing it back into his pocket.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Agnes cut me with a knife." Sophie rubbed at her wrists. "Cursed objects are what we use so we don't get caught using magic. The one she used is called the 'Blade of Icarus'. It was cursed in the eighteen-hundreds when-"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Jump ahead a few decades and tell us what it does, love." Klaus was impatient. He shifted on his feet, staring the witch down.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"It has one purpose - to kill someone by poisoning their blood." Sophie looked between Klaus and Elijah. "It's used in sacrificial magic, to slowly kill the person and drain their power. A link is usually established just before, but ours has been here for weeks. It's unpredictable how much it'll affect her."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"How long do we have to save her?" Elijah stepped forward.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"It'll do what it's meant to by tonight's high tide. And believe me, it will work. I've seen a similar object used on a kid who went mad and killed a bunch of priests."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I want to have a little chat with this Agnes." Klaus walked forward. "Where can I find her?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren groaned as Rebekah's fingers pulled at her bandage. Black vines had spread from the cut, curling along her porcelain skin. "What is it?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Poison, maybe." Rebekah dabbed at the cut with a wet rag. "Just try to relax."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren clenched her teeth and fisted the sheets in her hands. "It burns," she hissed through clenched teeth. "How am I supposed to relax when my veins are on fire?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Rebekah's phone rang. "Oh, good," she said shakily, "here, talk to Nik." She pushed the phone to Wren's ear.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Wren?" Niklaus' voice came through the receiver. "Love, say something."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Nik," Wren choked out as a few tears leaked from her eyes. "Where are you?" Her breathing had sped up, coming out in gasps as the burn intensified. It seemed like the more upset she got the worse it became.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'll find a way to fix you, love. Don't worry." Some rustling went on in the back. "I'm tracking down the witch who did this. You'll be better in no time."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren shuddered. "I should've taken you up on your offer this morning," she mumbled, slurring her words slightly.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"There'll be a million more mornings," Klaus slammed a door open. "Rest now, darling. I'll be home soon."