Chapter One: The Lycan

Lady Tara confidently walked behind her escort into the home of the two brothers, Lord Niklaus and Lord Elijah. It had been since the tenth century that she had last seen them but this time it would be bitter sweet. She was on a path of revenge. The maid showed her into the large expanse of a library as she went to go retrieve the brothers for their guest. Tara grinned from ear to ear as she listened to them arguing about Katerina.

Apparently, Niklaus was blaming Elijah because he thought that his brother was in love with her. When in fact, it was the other way around.

"Men." Lady Tara sighed.

"What of us?"

Tara quickly turned around to find herself staring at a broad chest covered in green cloth. Her breath caught, not because of the fact that no one could sneak up on her, but because the up close view of the man before her caught her off guard. Lord Elijah really was very handsome and even though she hated to admit it, her inner wolf was liking this man just as much as she was.

"Just that men can be very confusing when they choose to be." Tara said and took a step back.

"And women can't?" Lord Elijah countered.

"You wouldn't want to understand us." Lady Tara said, sounding amused. "We understand each other enough as is. Why do you think we hate each other so?"

"And here I thought you all had your own friendship circle." Lord Niklaus chimed in from the doorway.

"No woman is ever friends with another. If we are then it is to keep watch on our closest enemy."

"Is that what you are to us?" Elijah asked.

Lady Tara thought about it before she spoke her next words carefully.

"No." She shook her head and paced the room. "But I did come into possession of something very valuable to you."

"Katerina." Niklaus practically growled.

"What are you wanting in return?" Elijah asked.

Tara stopped walking to stare at them. "I want the location of your father."

"And you think that we would know this?" Niklaus sneered.

"No." Tara contemplated. "But if you want both Katerina and the moonstone before the next full moon, you better start looking."

Niklaus growled out in irritation but as he made to attack her, Elijah stood in his way, keeping her attention solely on him.

"And what would you do with this information?" He asked.

"That is of none of your concern." Tara frowned.

"It is of our concern." Elijah moved his hand to indicate he was speaking about both him and his brother. "We have reason to want him dead as well."

Tara shook her head. "It is better for an outsider to accomplish this, for any death caused by a family member is to be considered a betrayal."

"What motivates you?" Lord Elijah moved her way but she moved back.

"That is none of your concern." She repeated.

He was trying to coax more information out of her, but it wasn't going to happen. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Niklaus's body tense as he prepared to pounce. Tara hadn't thought that the great rumored terror that he was would be so predictable. He lunged from behind Elijah and plowed towards her, she moved out of his reach. She felt a hand close around her throat before she hit a wall with a loud thud.

"Where is Katerina?" Niklaus yelled in her face.

Tara didn't respond, instead she brought her arm down against his on her throat and was rewarded by the sound of a crack resonating within the room. Niklaus hissed and let go of her but she didn't make it out of his grasp in time and was tackled to the ground. She yelled out as pain exploded in her back.

"That was very clever, but unlike Katerina, you will not escape me." He growled.

Lady Tara smiled up at him with a devious grin as she realized how they were positioned.

"No. I will escape you, like everything has."

Her knee came up and connected with his manhood. He groaned, let go of her, and fell to the side. Tara stood up, a triumphant spark alight in her eyes.

"Unlike, Katerina, I'm not human. I can fight back." She stood over him. "Now, you will find me his location and you will receive Katerina and the moonstone. Deal?"

Niklaus didn't say anything but his nod confirmed that it was a deal. She turned around to give Lord Elijah a once over with one of her light brown eyebrows rising in question. He shook his head, slightly stunned but highly amused.

"I've no quarrel with you." He grinned.

"Good, so we have a deal?"

"You've no deal with me. I'm just a third party in this." Elijah grinned boyishly.

A week had passed before anything happened. During that time, Lady Tara spent her days avoiding Lord Niklaus. He hadn't taken too kindly to her outsmarting him by lowly kneeing his very sensitive spot between his legs. Therefore, he spent his days trying (and failing) to track her down while keeping up with updates about his father.

Lord Elijah found her the following Tuesday.

Tara roamed around the borrowed room, getting worried. Her tea wasn't calming her enough so she had resorted to drinking ale straight from the bottle. Everything had become too quiet lately with nothing changing save for the moon getting closer to being full as each night passed.

"That is quite unladylike of you."

She jumped and turned in time to catch Elijah standing in her doorway before she blinked, then he stood directly in front of her. Tara flinched back but her inner wolf begged for her to get closer. He stared into her eyes before slightly bending forward to take the bottle from her hand. Her skin started to tremble but she fought it.

Elijah looked away from her to read the label on the bottle before shrugging and taking a sip of his own.

"You never told me your name."

Tara was too entranced by his lips to notice his question but she did hear it and her answer was automatic.

"Lady Tara of the Falls."

His eyes lit up in revelation at this information but then they turned sad at what her words meant.

"Elijah of the Hidden Caves." He responded.

"I know who you and your brother are." Tara smiled. "I even remember Henrik."

"He loved watching your clan change at each full moon." His eyes darkened as he was drawn back into a memory. "Do you know what happened to him?"

"It was a werewolf." Tara shrugged.

"Is that not what you are?" Elijah asked in question.

"No, I'm lycan."

"And what is that?"

"Why do you care?"

Tara had snapped out of her trance, now fully aware of what all she had said. His eyes caught hold of hers and she couldn't turn away.

"I find you very fascinating." Elijah's voice revealed nothing but his dark brown eyes gave everything away.

"No." Tara shook her head. "You can't."

"I can."

"I am not Tatia!" Tara protested.

This had to stop, it had to. She could not let herself fall in love with this man. Lady Tara was the last of her bloodline so it was her duty to revive it, but she couldn't do that with a vampire.

"I was never in love with her." Elijah denied but his words rang true.

"We just met, Elijah, and you can't get involved with me."

Elijah studied her for a moment, deciding how he would go about his next words. Finally, he sighed.

"Our father is located to the west, about three days time, in a small tavern called Jo's."

"Thank you."

He turned to leave but not before tucking a strand of light brown hair behind her ear.

"I don't love you, at least not yet, but I'm drawn to you." Elijah admitted in a whisper. "I understand why you push me away, but just know that I will push the other men away from you."

"You don't own me." Tara whispered in return.

"I don't wish to own you." He grasped one of her hands and put it on his chest, over his heart. "But I wish to possess your heart as you have already done to mine."

"You just said that you don't love me."

"I don't." Elijah confirmed. "But that is because my love can't exist without a reason to."

"What is the reason you wish for?"

"For you to love me in return."

Tara's heart clenched at his spoken words that she would forever remember and a tear slid down her cheek.

Tara left the village one day later, delaying her time only to drop off a drugged Katerina and a boxed moonstone. It was the early morning and she could hear no one stirring but she could feel his eyes on her with each step she took to make her way off the property. She couldn't help turning to give him one last look but he wasn't visible. Her heart hurt as it clenched in pain one last time before she took off into the trees.

This is a new story that I've recently come up with, everything has just been flowing quite freely so I hope you like it!

Love ya, NataliaMikaelson