Chapter 37:

Mari leaned against the bathroom sink, taking in a deep, fulfilling breath. She had been holding her breath practically the entire time Elijah had her within his grasp. It was a miracle that she survived that encounter at all with how little she breathed in his presence.

After steadying her rapidly beating heart, Mari looked up at the mirror, then tugged down the collar of her shirt to examine the bite on her shoulder. It was bruising a little around where his fangs punctured the skin, staining her marble skin a dark purple. Thankfully, it wasn't bleeding any longer, but she decided to wipe it with a cloth anyways.

She was beginning to wonder if this predator phase of Elijah's would ever pass. Mari chalked it up to his recent separation from Hayley, a woman he loved once. It was likely his pain, she decided, that was causing him to take his anger out on her.

What was most concerning, however, was the way her encounters with the eldest living Mikaelson made her heart thud like wild in her chest. Not because she was afraid of him, either. Deep down, she knew very well that he wasn't going to hurt her, not seriously. So why could she never control the rapid beating of her heart when he was near?

Perhaps some dark, cold part of her enjoyed being the mouse that is chased by the tomcat. There was something thrilling about trying to assert her power to a creature more powerful than almost anything else on the planet. Elijah was an immovable force, but damned if she wasn't going to try. Mari could be a force of nature if she wanted to be.

"Mari, love," Klaus called her name from the bedroom. "Are you alright? My little brother wasn't too rough with you, was he?"

"No," she called back. Mari pulled her collar back into place to hide the bruising bite mark on her shoulder. If she had to, she would blame Kol for it. After combing her fingers through her short, curly blonde hair, she went back into the bedroom where Klaus was laying comfortably on his preferred side of the bed.

"Hm," Klaus grinned at her as she climbed into bed next to him. "You always look rather lovely after you've been satisfied."

"I do?"

"Yes, darling. You glow," he chuckled lowly, sliding an arm under her to draw her closer to his side. "I was thinking of taking you out on the town tomorrow. Would you like to do a little shopping? I need to purchase a few canvases myself."

"You don't have to spend money on me, Klaus," she reminded him. "There are ways I can earn my own money."

"I'd rather you not get another job, Mari. Having you near us at all times is the safest thing for you. Besides, we have more than enough money to spend. Allow me to spoil you, love." He reached over to brush her bangs from her eyes.

"I don't need much."

"That's fine," he smirked at her in amusement. His joy was contagious, and pretty soon Mari was smiling, too, despite the turmoil in her head. However, mere seconds later, Klaus' expression changed. His handsome smile faded, and a serious look took its place. "Mari, there is something else I would like to talk to you about."

"What is it?" By the look on his face, it couldn't be anything good.

"I'm going to try and find a way to break the curse that was put on you as an infant," he sighed, "but if I can't, or if I do, we should discuss the possibility of... making you one of us."

"One of you?" She questioned. Her mind took those words in a few different directions, unsure of what exactly he meant. Part of her wondered if this was a proposal of some kind.

"Elijah protests our involvement with you because of your mortality," he explained a little more clearly. "If that was no longer a concern, then there would be no reason for us to ever let you go. You could stay with us forever."

"You want to turn me?"

"I want to keep you," he corrected gently. "Elijah is right. Humans are temporary. They age and die in the time it takes to blink for a vampire. I don't want you to be ash in the wind that we can only remember when we're sad and alone."

Mari pondered on that for a long moment in silence. What did she want? Forever was a very long time, but death could often be sudden and painful. Did she want to live forever? Was she prepared to give her humanity away to be with the men she loved? She couldn't fathom what it meant to be immortal, to be constantly hungering for blood.

"Say something. Please."

"I-I need time," she stuttered nervously, curling up in a ball on her side. She hugged the pillow in her arms, against her chest. "I need time to think about something like this."

"Consider it," Klaus nearly pleaded. "I promise to never force this decision on you, but I will confess that I... quite like the idea of living forever in New Orleans with you."

"It is a nice thought," she attempted a smile to reassure him. Klaus leaned up on his elbow so he could press a quick kiss to her lips.

"Sleep well, love."

"You, too, Klaus."

Kol had other errands to run, so it was just Klaus and Mari in the square the next afternoon. He treated her to a wonderful lunch at a nearby cafe, then took her out shopping along the quarter.

Mari was too shy and guilt-ridden to even say she liked anything, so Klaus decided to take it upon himself to pick out things for her. One of those things was a new dress he was thrilled to see her wear later that evening to dinner.

As they walked past rows of booths set up in the square for a festival of some kind, Klaus' phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Mari heard it, then looked up at him when she noticed he was intentionally ignoring it.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, darling. I simply don't want anything to ruin the day," he grumbled, clearly annoyed by the sudden and constant buzzing in the pocket of his jeans. Mari flexed her fingers, then gently pulled them away from his, detangling their hands and arms.

"The day couldn't be ruined. It's already the best I've ever had," she reassured him with a soft smile. "Someone might need you, Klaus. You should answer it."

Her words warmed his heart in a way no one else had been able to since Camille. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled his phone from his pocket. Of course it was Marcel. When was it anyone else other than someone who wanted something from him?

"What is it?" He answered it quickly.

Mari watched his expression slowly changed as he listened to Marcel on the other end of the line. His amused grin faded, turning into a scowl she had seen more times than she ever wanted to. He was annoyed, and Klaus was a little unpredictable when he was annoyed.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood. Otherwise there would be no one to bail you out of another one of your messes, Marcellus," Klaus growled lowly before hanging up the phone. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he sucked in a deep breath. "I must cut our day short, Mari. I apologize."

"Will you be safe?" She asked innocently.

"There's very little in this world that can harm me. You needn't worry. It's just a little witch dispute Marcel is having trouble managing," Klaus promised with a surprisingly gentle tone. "Will you stay here for me? I'll call Elijah to come retrieve you since Kol is busy."

Mari's eyes widened a little, though she did her best not to let her countenance give away her nervousness regarding Elijah. She blinked a few times, then dropped her gaze to avoid showing him her sudden anxiety.

"I can walk home. You don't have to bother him."

"Nonsense. He can be here in nearly an instant," Klaus lifted his phone to his ear again. She barely heard whatever he said to Elijah; the thumping of that wild heart of hers was deafening in her ears. He caught her attention again when he bent over to kiss the top of her head. "Wait here for Elijah, Mari. I'll be home later this evening."

In the blink of an eye, Klaus was gone. She should have been used to the inhuman speed at which they could travel, but it never failed to stun her. Not long after he disappeared from her side, she broke into a run herself.

Mari wanted to get somewhere else, to move locations just so Elijah couldn't find her immediately. There was enough people in the square to blend in, so she pushed on further into the crowd, rushing down to the other end of the festival booths.

Almost as soon as she reached a new location, her phone rang in her purse. Mari hesitated. Deep down, she knew it was going to be Elijah, but some part of her worried it might be Klaus calling her, wondering where she had run off to. Despite her gut instinct, she answered the phone.

"Must we play this game?" Elijah sighed on the other end of the call. "I have been tasked with bringing you home, Marigold. I intend to complete my task, even if I must do so by force."

"I can get home on my own," she frowned, ducking into the crowd again. It was moments like those that made her grateful for her short stature.

"On your own?" Elijah huffed. "I can smell you from here, Marigold. Every vampire in the quarter can smell you. Do you really think you're safe alone?"

"I might take my chances with them," she shot back, feeling a little bold, a little excited. She had truly become the little mouse always trying to escape the cat's clutches. Unfortunately, this cat was much quicker and much more clever than she was.

"Marigold. I'm a much better hunter than you are prey."

"I don't need an escort," she said a little more stubbornly. Mari broke loose of the crowd and ran down the nearest alley, hoping she could cut through and be on her way home without Elijah having to drag her back there. She wasn't ready to face him yet.

"Found you, little mouse."

Before she could break out of the alley, Mari slammed directly into a hard, firm chest with the full force of her own weight. The change in momentum caused her to bounce backwards and fall back on her rear. She winced, then looked up to see Elijah standing there, phone at his ear, blocking the exit of the alley.

"Why did you run, Marigold? Did you want me to chase you so badly?"

"I..." she trailed off, not sure of what to say. What could she say? That she hated the way she felt when she was around him? That she hated how much she enjoyed being bitten and fed from? Even if it was Elijah doing the biting. "I just didn't want to see you," she muttered, her cheeks flushing almost instantly, which gave away her poorly constructed lie.

"Klaus requested a favor of me, and I must oblige. That is what family does," he said calmly, bending down to scoop her up in his arms bridal style. "Now, I'm taking you home, and we will wait together for my brothers to return."

Mari said nothing as he bolted towards the compound. She just squeezed her eyes shut so she didn't get dizzy, and she hoped with all her heart that Elijah would behave until Klaus or Kol returned home. Unfortunately, that was unlike Elijah as of late.

She should have expected what happened next.