Chapter 36:
Both Kol and Klaus noticed the fresh bite mark on Mari's neck the next morning, but they both assumed it came from one of them. Neither could imagine that Elijah would lose his composure with Mari and feed from her out of some desperate and uncontrollable urge.
Elijah himself avoided her the next day, choosing instead to fill himself with as much blood as the donors could afford in hopes of quenching the thirst that she left him with. Nothing quite satisfied him, though, which left him in a constant and infuriating state of desire.
The darker part of Elijah considered just killing her. That way there would be no more temptation to fight against, but he feared it would leave him eternally unsatisfied. Besides, his brothers loved her. They would never forgive him if he hurt Mari, even though Klaus had killed Elijah's lovers of the past. Maybe it would be fair.
To make matters worse, as he sat there in his study later that evening, his heightened sense of hearing kicked in just in time to pick up the sound of Mari whimpering upstairs. He heard the legs of the bed scraping Kol's floor as well, which made it all too clear exactly what was going on. It irked him, but he wasn't sure why.
I invite you...
Why was he thinking about that ridiculous dream now? Especially when he could so clearly hear her soft mewls from the second floor. Elijah shifted in his chair, taking in a deep, steadying breath. He needed to clear his head, to erase the taste of Mari from his lips entirely. Maybe if he could forget all about it, he would be able to relax again.
A knock at his door broke his focus, and the sounds of Mari whining and panting faded away into the background again. He hadn't even realized he was listening so intensely.
"Come in." Elijah looked down at his desk again, burying his mind in the paperwork he was sorting through. There were a lot of properties all over to maintain and facilitate the care of. He needed to focus, or at least pretend to.
"Brother," Klaus cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you might speak to Freya for me. She seems to trust your judgement best."
"Freya?" Elijah raised a brow. "What for, Niklaus?"
"I would like to know if there is a way to confirm that Mari is, in fact, cursed," Klaus explained, pacing further into the study. "And if she is, I want to have that curse removed."
"I can understand the cause for concern, but Freya is away at the moment. Why don't you have Kol ask Davina for help?"
"You and I both know that won't happen. Kol and I are... in a disagreement regarding this supposed curse," Klaus grumbled, pulling out a chair across from Elijah to drop down in it. He leaned back and sighed heavily. "Kol is of the mindset that we shouldn't change anything about Mari."
"He realizes the risk a curse like that brings to Mari, yes?"
"Of course," Klaus scoffed. "Kol is no fool, but he is selfish at times. I imagine he wants her to remain as she is because she tastes so heavenly. Her blood is like a drug, and Kol is an unfortunate addict. He thinks he can protect her well enough without breaking any curses."
Breaking the curse could solve Elijah's personal problem with Mari, so it was in his best interest to request Freya's help with it. He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair.
"I'll speak to Freya."
"I'm ever so grateful for your help, brother," Klaus grinned. "Let us keep this between us for now. Kol needed know in case he decides to interfere. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Well. I ought to join them upstairs before Kol has all the fun without me," Klaus muttered, making his way to the door. He paused for a moment, then turned back to Elijah. "Thank you for bringing her home without a fuss, Elijah. I would so hate to continue fighting among ourselves. We appreciate your acceptance of her presence in the compound."
Elijah just nodded his response, so Klaus left the study and pulled the door closed behind him. Once Klaus was gone, Elijah squeezed his eyes shut, then reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. He wished the girl had just stayed gone, then he would have never tasted her blood, that sweet nectar flowing through her veins.
Mari winced a little as she dropped onto her feet beside the bed. She snagged Kol's tee shirt from the floor, then dragged it on over her head. Once it was settled over her torso, she look down to flatten it only to realize there was a fresh spot of blood on it.
Upon further inspection, she realized that one of Kol's bites was still bleeding on her wrist. Mari pouted a little bit at the stain she put on Kol's shirt, then looked at where the blood was dripping down her arm now.
A strange thought struck her then. For whatever reason, Mari figured it was a waste to just let her blood drip on the floor. Elijah suddenly came to mind, though she wished he hadn't.
Despite what happened, she knew he must have been in pain. Hayley had moved on, and it didn't seen like it sat well with Elijah. He loved her, as far as Mari knew. It must have been difficult for him to have to let her go so she could be happy.
Mari moved to the nightstand, carefully and quietly so she didn't wake Kol. She held her wrist out over the empty whiskey glass Klaus left there, then squeezed it gently to push more beads of blood from Kol's relatively fresh bite marks. Once it was a quarter of the way full, she clasped her hand over the little wounds and held pressure there until the bleeding slowed and eventually stopped.
Sucking up her pride, Mari left Kol's room in just his tee shirt. It was long enough on her to cover her chest, underwear, and most of her thighs, the length of a short gown on her. She gently walked down the steps, glass in hand, and walked to Elijah's study.
After a moment's hesitation, she knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in, Marigold," his voice spoke from the other side. She opened the door reluctantly, nervously, then stepped just inside of it.
Elijah was surprised to see her there, especially in such a state. His nose twitched when it caught the scent of fresh blood, her blood. His eyes darkened on instinct, at just the smell of it, which made her take a step back in fear.
"I-I brought this for you," she said nervously. "I can't let you feed from me again, but I... hope this will help anyways. I know it's hard to lose someone you love."
"You're referring to Hayley."
"I won't pry, or say much about it. It's none of my business," she quickly added. "If I really am cursed, then maybe this will make you feel just a little better."
Elijah watched in amusement as her little feet forced themselves forward in slow, frightened steps. Mari stopped a foot or two away from his desk, then leaned up to set the glass on the edge of it. She was afraid of him, and he honestly couldn't blame her.
His predator instincts begged him to leap over his desk, to tackle her to the ground and have his fill of her sweet blood. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't hurt the woman that both of his remaining brothers fawned over. It would cause a war within the family.
"I appreciate the thought," he mumbled, reaching across his desk to pluck the glass from where she set it. He lifted it to his lips, taking a moment to inhale the aroma of it deeply before taking a small sip. It was heavenly, just as euphoric as the first time he tasted it. After sipping from it again, Elijah frowned.
"Is something wrong?" Mari questioned anxiously when she saw the look of disapproval sweep across his expression.
"This isn't enough to fill me, Mari."
"Want me to find one of your donors?"
"No." His jaw fixed, and he suddenly stood up from his chair. Mari became even more anxious when he reached up to pull his tie loose from his collar. "No, I have something else in mind."
"Elijah, what-"
"I will not be taunted with such a meager meal," he said firmly. He walked around the desk and stood directly in front of her.
When Mari realized what he meant to do, she tried to turn her face away from his. With his inhuman speed and strength, he was able to easily capture her face in his hands before she could run. He brought her gaze to his by force, then began the compulsion.
"Raise your arms above your head."
Mari lifted her arms slowly, like she was trying to fight it. Once they were both stretched upwards, Elijah removed his tie from his collar. He brought her little wrists together in one hand, then wrapped his necktie around them and pulled it tight.
"Elijah," she whined, eyes pleading with him to let her go. He raised himself on his toes and circled the other end of the tie around the ceiling light that hung above his desk. Once it was fixed into place, he took a step back to admire his work.
Mari had her hands bound together and strung up above her head. She was on the tips of her toes now, unable to drop onto her heels because of the height of the ceiling light. Elijah essentially suspended her there, right in front of him, then sat back against the edge of his desk.
"I often wonder," he smirked at her as she wiggled, "if you're just a tease by nature, or if you're doing it on purpose."
"I'm not trying to tease anyone."
"Are you satisfied?" He raised a brow. "You have two Mikaelson men, two of the most powerful vampires in the world, wrapped around your little finger. I sometimes wonder if you've got them under some kind of spell. Your mother was a witch after all."
"Is this an interrogation?" Mari frowned. "I'm not a witch, and I'm not a tease. I love them."
"I'm beginning to think you are the curse, not that you've been cursed," Elijah hummed, reaching out to pinch a strand of her hair between his fingers before letting it slip away. "I haven't been well, Mari. Not since I tasted your blood. You've cursed me."
"I'm not a witch," she repeated, her voice a little more desperate this time. "I haven't done anything wrong, Elijah. I swear."
"You came into my office looking like that. I'd say you're a very naughty woman. A tease," Elijah growled lowly, eyes dropping to take in the sight of her creamy and mostly exposed thighs. He wanted to sink his fangs into the soft flesh between them.
"I-" Mari cut herself off, biting down on her bottom lip. What was she supposed to say? There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes, and she didn't want to risk refusing him. "Feed from me then. Have your fill, if I mistakenly teased you with my blood."
"Smart girl. Be silent and accept your fate. You belong to the Mikaelson's now, and I am a Mikaelson. You should serve me as well."
He stepped up to her, resting his large hands on her hips. She squirmed a little under his touch, and he wasn't ashamed to admit he liked it. After admiring her for a moment longer, Elijah leaned in and bit into her shoulder.
Mari let out a soft cry, then let her head fall back. Her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for him to be finished with her. Her skin tingled at her hips where his thumbs pressed into the tee shirt. She felt disgusted with herself when she suddenly felt excited by her current predicament.
No, she told herself. She was only excited because it reminded her of Klaus, of Kol, and how it feels to be bitten by them. Having them drink from her always brought out a strange sort of arousal, so she blamed that. There was no way being taken advantage of by Elijah could ever excite her. At least, she hoped there was no way.
After a moment, Elijah leaned back and cut her loose from the tie. She brought her hands down to cradle them against her chest, relieves to be flat on her feet again. Mari stared up at Elijah with wide-eyed confusion.
"Go on back to Klaus and Kol," he shooed her away with his hand. "I'm full now."
She glared at him quickly before turning and rushing out of his study. She regretted ever going in there, ever trying to be nice to him. Mari vowed to avoid him at all costs from then on, so he couldn't take advantage of her for her blood again.
Meanwhile, Elijah sat in his study all night planning and plotting. He had to remove the temptation from his life, but he had to get his fix until that was possible. It made sense why Klaus called Kol an addict and Mari a drug. Elijah was desperate to feed from her again, no matter what it cost. Her blood was too sweet, too tempting, to stay away from for long.