CULLEN SIGHS, LOOKING over the spell. "This spell is crazy complicated."
Klaus snatches the paper from Cullen pointing to a section of latin words. "Is this the bit, here?"
"Hey!" Cullen exclaims, snatching the paper back from him. "Like I said, it's complicated. Your mother bound protection magic to black kyanite stones. A werewolf with the stones is free from turning on a full moon." Ever since Elijah's peace summit Klaus had been doing his own meddling. At first Cullen and Elijah thought it was wrong, but after learning it would benefit almost everyone, but Marcel and his fraction of vampires they agreed to it.
"And what of the improvements?" Klaus questions.
"This spell will enhance speed, strength, and agility." Cullen mutters, her focus on the spell.
"There should be something in there about fangs, it's what our mother used on us when she turned us into vampires." Klaus explains.
"Not just fangs-- you said you want venom, so the bite is still lethal to vampires." Cullen tells him.
"Can you do it?" Klaus looks down at her stomach. Any day now Cullen would be having the baby and Klaus didn't what this spell to be the cause of it.
Cullen sighs. "Better me than Genevieve, right?"
-
"Elijah should have called by now." Hayley paces back and forth. While on the way back from getting the stones they needed Jackson and Oliver had been taken by Marcel.
"It'll be fine." Cullen tells Hayley. "Seriously Hayley, please sit down. I can feel the worry coming off of you in waves."
Almost as if they had been waiting for the right moment Elijah and Klaus walk into the room, carrying a bloodied up Jackson. "Thank god you're alive." Hayley gasps, grabbing ahold of Jackson, while Cullen slowly stands up, trying not to lose her balance.
"I'm fine, too, thanks for asking." Klaus drawls sarcastically, earning a glare from Hayley. Rolling his eyes, Klaus moves over to Cullen, placing a supporting hand on her back so she can take some of the weight off.
"What about the stones?" Cullen questions, glancing towards Klaus.
"Scattered across the bed of the Mississippi, I'd imagine." Elijah answers.
"Marcel's not a fool." Klaus speaks up. "He knows an empowered werewolf army would mean the end of vampires in New Orleans. The explosion is his way of saying he means to prevent that. For all the good it'll do him."
"Well, it did him pretty damn well, didn't it?" Hayley interrupts.
"This is my fault. I'll find a way to fix it." Jackson exclaims.
"No, Jack, you're hurt. No one's blaming you." Hayley shakes her head.
"I'm blaming you. Those stones will be hard to replace." Klaus begins as a grin pulls onto his face. "Fortunately, I always have a backup plan."
Little time had passed when the sound of footsteps could be heard in the middle of the compound. "You can't seriously mean her." Hayley calls as she glances over the banister. She's a gangster."
"I see her more as a means of procuring rare items at short notice." Klaus responds, following after Cullen and Elijah. "Greetings, Ms. Correa! I see you've brought company."
"These are my brothers. I always include them in delicate business matters." Francesca explains. "Fellas, meet Mr. Mikaelson."
Klaus smiles. "Please, call me Klaus. All my friends do."
"I don't know if I'd call us friends." Francesca turns to her brothers, grabbing ahold of a small bag. "But, if you and Marcel are planning on having a little throw-down, I'd prefer my family to be on the same side as the inevitable victor."
"Then, you have what I asked for?" Klaus questions.
Francesca holds out the bag. "Not enough for an army at such short notice, but it's a start."
"Strange, I wasn't aware that she was familiar with our plan." Elijah speaks up, moving towards his brother.
"My price for doing business is full disclosure. Your brother complied." Francesca supplies.
"How does the Human Faction stand to benefit from all of this?" Elijah glances towards Francesca.
"I only want us to solidify our allegiance to the ruling class. It's good for business." Francesca smiles.
"If only everyone shared your capacity for reason." Klaus states, admiring the stones.
"Sadly, they don't. Marcel is being especially vindictive. I'm worried he might come after me, or my family, just for meeting with you." Francesca takes a deep breath. "It might be in our best interests if we combine our efforts."
Klaus quirks an eyebrow. "So be it. The more bodies we have to defend the compound, the better. Let's get started, shall we?"
-
"Here you are, love." Klaus exclaims, handing Cullen a glass of salt as he enters the room. Cullen takes the ingredient, glancing between Hayley and Elijah. Spreading the salt out, she lays down the stones.
"Alright." Cullen sighs. "Let's do this." Raising her hands she begins chanting. "Tua virtuse. Materi lunare tua virtuse. Materi lunare tua virtuse."
"My people say Marcel is on the move, and he's bringing friends." Francesca interrupts, hurrying into the room.
"Stay here." Klaus orders Elijah and Hayley. "Keep Cullen safe."
"You two should help Klaus." Francesca speaks up once Klaus exits the room. "My brothers and their security detail won't be much against a vampire army. I'll stay with Cullen."
"Go guys." Cullen quickly nods her head before going back to the spell.
Only minutes had passed when one of Francesca's bodyguards entered the room. "Ms. Correa, we need to go. Your brothers are already headed out the back."
"Not yet." Francesca holds out her head, Cullen stealing a quick glance at her. Feeling her magic shift, Cullen stops the spell.
"It's done." The witch looks towards Francesca. "I need to get these to the Bayou."
"Not so fast." Francesca begins, walking over to the stones.
"What the hell?" Cullen questions, moving forward to stop her when she feels magic wash over her. Unable to move, Cullen looks around, stopping when she notices Genevieve. "Oh, you bitch."
"Call it a side deal. The point is, I'm taking the stones." Francesca smirks.
"Are you out of your mind? You think the humans can go up against Klaus?" Cullen raises her voice, stopping Francesca.
"No, I don't. But, I'm not human." Francesca pulls out a knife, slitting her bodyguards throat. Once the man hits the ground Francesca doubles over in pain, finally looking up to show her fangs and yellow eyes. "I'm a wolf. And now, I'm gonna take back my town." Before Cullen can make a move to escape Genevieve's magic, Genevieve sends another spell towards her, knocking her out.
-
The first thing Cullen feels when she wakes up is a shot of pain coming from her stomach. After that shot of pain, comes another one, and another. And finally she notices she's no longer in the compound, but in the church. "We should take her to the City of the Dead." Cullen hears Monique state as a particular sharp pain shoots through her body causing her to cry out, alerting the other witches that she's awake.
"We won't make it, the baby is coming now." Genevieve explains.
"No." Cullen cries. "It's too soon."
"Apparently not." Genevieve comments.
"The plan was to induce her when the sacrifice was ready." Monique says, causing Cullen to begin thrashing out of the other witches hold.
"I had to subdue her, and the trauma caused a placental abruption. So, the baby is coming, and we'll just have to adapt." Genevieve moves away from Monique, going to stand in front of Cullen.
"Let me go." Cullen yells, letting out a scream as another contraction hits her.
"You need to be calm, Cullen." Genevieve grabs ahold of the younger girl.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Cullen cries.
"To be reborn, you must sacrifice." Monique answers.
At Monique's words it finally clicks in Cullen's mind. Letting out a scream that shatters the windows in the church Cullen tries to get away. "No! No! You will not take my baby, I will kill all of you!"
"Subdue her magic." Genevieve yells over Cullen's screaming. Cullen continues to cry and fight even when she feels a sharp pinch in her arm, she could feel as her magic slowly became unreachable.
"You will not kill us." Monique grabs ahold of Cullen's arms. "And neither will Klaus, or Elijah. When your baby is born, you will offer her up to those who came before us."
Cullen continues to struggle as they move her to the alter, laying her down. She lets out a loud scream when she notices the church doors fly open, Klaus walking in. "No!" Cullen screams as the witches lift Klaus in the air, slamming him into the wall. Her attention is moved as another contraction hits, a yell of pain leaving her lips.
"You should know this brings me no joy. I promise I'll make it quick." Genevieve speaks up as another witch throws a sheet over Cullen's legs. "Let's begin, shall we?"
Both Cullen and Klaus are screaming at this point, though Klaus' is out of anger and Cullen's is out of pain. "I will bring hell to your family."
"One last push! Push! The baby's almost here!" Genevieve instructs Cullen.
"I will bathe in rivers of your blood!" Klaus shouts, trying to fight off the spell the witches were keeping him under.
"I can see the baby." Monique speaks up.
"No. No." Cullen cries.
"Ok. Now push." Genevieve tells Cullen. The younger girl, grips the side of the alter as she lets out a blood curling scream, giving one last push. "There." At her words Cullen drops onto the alter, letting out a gasp. Tears come to her eyes as a small cry fills the now silent building. "You have a beautiful baby daughter. We must start the sacrifice as soon as the moon sets with the morning sky--"
"No." Cullen cries, glancing up to Klaus before frantically looking back to her daughter. "Please. Please, can I hold her?" Genevieve nods, placing the baby into Cullen's arms. The tears are now running freely down Cullen's face as she holds her daughter. She looks towards Klaus in fascination before running a finger down her daughters face. A sharp pain across her neck is the last thing she feels before everything goes black.