Klaus blinked in confusion trying to come to grips with the surreal thing he had just witnessed. Bonnie had been taken from him, right under his nose. She had disappeared right in front of him and he had not been able to do anything to stop it. He had failed to protect her and their children.
Bonnie was gone.
Bonnie had been taken from him.
Bonnie and his children were gone.
His blood boiled with rage. But there were other emotions as well, there was fear, uncertainty, and pain.
What the hell happened? Where had she been taken? Who did this?
Klaus was angry with himself, if he hadn't left her alone, if he had arrived a few seconds before, if he had done something else, if, so many ifs. More than the anger, more than the thoughts of what he could have done different, Klaus felt empty inside. He felt like he was missing something. His chest hurt.
At first, he thought he had been hurt when the magic that took Bonnie repelled him, but he wasn't. He was fine physically. While his skin had been torn open when he had tried to grab Bonnie, it had completely healed by now. The unexpected pain came from inside him. From his heart, he realized.
He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. There was a void inside him, a feeling of emptiness. He couldn't even stand up. Klaus pulled himself to his knees and stared at the spot where Bonnie had just been a few seconds before trying to figure out why he was feeling that way.
He frowned and brought his right hand up to his chest and unconsciously rubbed the spot where his heart was, where it hurt. That organ he had thought long dead and cold was aching for something, for Bonnie.
Klaus let out a shaky breath. He needed to find Bonnie, that's all that matter right now. He closed his eyes, using his superior senses to tap into the bond and locate Bonnie. He needed to find her. He needed to get her back. He needed to save her from whatever had taken her.
His eyes suddenly snapped open with a horrible realization. He couldn't feel her. He couldn't feel her at all. He had no idea where she was.
Klaus tried again, concentrating hard and practically begging his senses to find that connection, to tap into their bond and locate her. He expanded his senses to their limit in search of that unique connection between the two of them, in search of their bond which had allowed him to track her down countless of times before. It wasn't there. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find it.
A sudden cold descended over his body and a feeling of dread penetrated his skin.
Bonnie had become such a constant and soothing presence inside him, in his blood, and now she was no longer there. He couldn't feel her emotions, he didn't know what she was feeling in this moment and he couldn't sense where she was either.
Was she in New Orleans? Had she been taken somewhere else?
There was nothing. He had grown so accustomed to feeling her, to sensing her emotions that it almost felt like she had always been a part of him. And now she wasn't there anymore. His bond with Bonnie was gone.
Klaus felt like a dagger had suddenly pierced his heart. He felt empty inside. Bonnie was gone and with her, their bond.
How was that even possible?
When Bonnie had been tricked and attacked by the spirits, Klaus hadn't been able to sense her emotions. He had felt something off about their bond and realized she had closed her side. But the bond had still been there. Klaus had felt it. Klaus had used it to track her to the werewolf camp. Right now he couldn't feel it at all. The bond between them was gone. That cold and dreadful realization cut deeply into his heart, into his very soul.
Had the person that took Bonnie severed their bond? No, that was impossible. The only way a blood bond could be broken was if one of them died.
Klaus felt suddenly sick as that thought crossed his mind. No, she couldn't be dead.
Panic
Fear
Desperation
He squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body trembling. The pain was unbearable. The physical part he could withstand, he was strong enough, but the emotional impact upon that thought… that, he had not been prepared for.
Everything he cared for had been taken from him in a blink of an eye.
Bonnie and his children had been ripped away from him in a matter of seconds and he had done nothing. He had promise to keep them safe. He had failed her, he had failed them. Klaus could not imagine living in a world without them in it. They were his everything. He needed to find them. He needed to get them back.
And what if you can't? What if they are truly gone? You failed them. You were supposed to protect them. You failed them.
Klaus allowed himself one moment, one moment of despair, one moment of grief, one moment of anguish and fear. He allowed himself a moment of humanity, a moment in which he felt everything.
A moment of weakness, his father would've said with disappointment. But Klaus needed that moment. He needed that moment to feel. An Original did not have the luxury of shutting down his emotions and blocking the pain like the young ones did whenever the mood struck. No, he had to endure. He had to turn that pain into his weapon.
Klaus closed his eyes. He used every single one of the storm of emotions inside him and turned them into a single objective. If his enemies thought that this would break him, they were in for a rude awakening. A lesser man would cry and let the grief destroy him. Klaus had long ago perfected the art of using everything that hurt him to fuel the fire inside him, to awaken the beast his father had unsuccessfully tried to suppress. He was going to devour every single one of them. He was not going to rest until the ones responsible for this died in the most gruesome manner. He was going to find them and he was going to end them.
But first, he was going to find his wife and his children. He needed to get them back at all cost. He refused to believe that they were truly gone.
Klaus stood up.
He knew what he had to do.
Lafayette Cemetery
Celeste didn't waste any time, as tired and lightheaded as she felt, she needed to find Bonnie. She kneeled on the ground and started chanting. When the locator spells she tried didn't work, she decided to do something else. She was going to communicate with the Ancestors. She needed their help in order to find Bonnie. The Ancestors had the power to find any living witch.
It didn't matter where Bonnie was or how powerful the magic protecting her was, the Ancestors would find her and Celeste would get her.
"I just spoke with my guys," Marcel said placing his cell phone inside the pocket of his jacket. "Every one of my vampires is searching for Bonnie. Wherever she landed we'll find her."
Celeste kept her eyes closed, blood oozing down her nose as she continued to furiously chant under her breath. Come on, she pleaded. Tell me where she is, show me where she is, find her…
A cold wind swept through the cemetery. All the candles died out as the Ancestors answered Celeste's call.
Marcel moved closer. "Did you find her?"
Celeste's eyes snapped open and a gasp escaped her lips. The Ancestors couldn't find Bonnie. "None of the locator spells I've tried are working and the Ancestors…" It couldn't be. A sudden chill descended over her body as the realization of what that meant hit her like a bucket of ice water.
Marcel frowned. "She must be cloaked," he suggested.
"No," Celeste closed her eyes briefly, her hands were shaking. "I can't sense her at all." And neither could the Ancestors and that could only mean one thing.
"What the hell is going on Sabine?" Marcel asked. He didn't like the look on her face. Sabine looked afraid. It was so strange to see that fear reflected in her eyes and face. She had seemed so confident and on top of her game earlier that night but now, she had turned into a shaking mess.
Celeste couldn't believe it. She stared down at her left wrist. It hurt. The mark had turned an angry red, slowly eating away at her skin. "It can't be…" she whispered. What had she done?
Marcel grabbed her by her upper arms and pulled her up. "Look at me," he hissed, searching her face for answers. "Tell me what the hell is going on, Sabine?" He needed to know why she was so afraid.
"Every time I look for her, every time I try to find her, it doesn't work," Celeste murmured. "It's almost as if…" she trailed off.
Your ambition shall be your undoing…
Celeste swallowed painfully, recalling those words spoken so long ago. She had been warned.
"As if what?" Marcel asked bringing her attention back to him. His strong grip on her arms prevented her from falling to the ground.
"As if I were looking for someone who is dead," Celeste replied in a whisper.
"What are you saying?" Marcel asked. He must have heard wrong. There was no way Sabine was implying what he was thinking. That was not the plan. He had not signed up for that.
"Bonnie is dead." Celeste said as she met Marcel's eyes. "I can't find her and the Ancestors can't find her either, the only thing that can prevent the Ancestors from reaching a witch is death."
Marcel gasped and pulled away from her as if he had been burned. "No…" he said. "That wasn't the plan. What did you do?"
"It wasn't me," Celeste replied with sincerity while her mind raced with different possibilities. "Someone must have tampered with my spell and got to her." It was the only explanation. She looked down at the mark on her wrist; an angry red burn the size of a quarter stared back at her. She had broken her oath and now she was going to pay the price. She was running out of time.
"You have to be wrong," Marcel said refusing to believe what Sabine was saying.
If Bonnie was truly dead, they were fucked.
"I have to go," Thierry said putting his cell phone on the nightstand before getting out of bed. He had just received a call from Diego with instructions from Marcel.
"Why?" Katie sat up and leaned against the headboard watching as Thierry pulled his clothes on. They had been having such a great time, a much needed time between them.
"Marcel wants us to search for Bonnie," he told her while getting dressed.
Katie frowned. "Why would he do that?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at her lover. "What's going on Thierry?"
Thierry pulled his shirt on before sitting down on the bed once more and turning to face her. "Marcel and Sabine made a deal," he began nervously. He had not told Katie about it yet.
"What kind of deal?"
"They teamed up to take down the Originals but it seems the plan backfired."
"And you didn't tell me about this." Katie snapped. "How can you keep something like this from me?" she stood up and put her robe on before turning to him, an angry look on her face. "What the hell were you thinking?"
Thierry sighed and stood up as well. "You made it clear that you will side with the Mikaelsons." Marcel had asked him and Father Kieran to keep quiet about his deal with Sabine. Thierry had kept his word.
"And you're definitely sticking by Marcel's side?" Katie scoffed. Despite her anger that he hadn't told her anything, there was also a hint of guilt. She hadn't told Thierry about her talk with Felix earlier that morning. He was keeping things from her, and she was doing the same. "Where is Bonnie?" she asked suddenly. "What did they do to her?"
"That's the thing," Thierry said quietly. "They don't know. Sabine was going to do a spell and lock Bonne in the cemetery, keep her out of the game while Marcel made his move. But they don't know where Bonnie ended up. The spell didn't take her to the mausoleum like they planned."
Katie closed her eyes. "A teleporting spell," she realized. What the hell was Sabine playing at?
"She's probably somewhere in the Quarter, Marcel gave orders for all of us to look for her." And he really needed to get going.
Katie opened her eyes and stared at him. "Do you have any idea how complex, how rarely successful teleporting spells are?" there was a reason few witches even attempted to try them. "Teleporting yourself takes a lot, on your body, on your magic and the chances of killing yourself in the process are really high." Many witches had died after attempting a teleporting spell, including one of her ancestors. In many covens those kinds of spells were forbidden, they were certainly forbidden in the French Quarter Coven. "Teleporting someone else, a witch like Bonnie…" Jesus Christ! What the hell had Sabine done?
"Sabine seemed confident she could do it." Thierry moved around the bed until he came to stand next to her.
Katie shook her head. "I grew up with her and Sophie, she's not that powerful." There was no way Sabine had that kind of power. Someone like the Regent could attempt to do it, but Sabine, no. Not only that, but from where could she have learned such rare and complex spell.
"It's going to be okay." Thierry took her hand in his. "Don't worry."
"Do you realize that this spell could've killed Bonnie?" Katie snapped. Did Thierry have any idea what kind of mess Marcel had gotten them into?
Thierry opened his mouth but she cut him off.
"Klaus is going to kill Sabine for this," Katie murmured. "And if something happened to Bonnie, Klaus is going to burn this city to the ground. He'll come for Marcel and his guys, he'll come for you." Tears burned in her eyes as she stared at Thierry. "Are you really willing to die for Marcel?"
"Everything I am is because of him," Thierry answered with conviction. "I have to go." He didn't want to have this conversation now. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left at vampire speed, without saying another word.
Katie wiped the tears from her eyes and allowed herself a moment before grabbing her purse and pulling her cell phone out. She dialed the number she had saved that morning. "Felix, its Katie…" she took a deep breath. Forgive me, Thierry. She thought. She had made her choice and she was sticking with it. "There is something Klaus needs to know…"
By the time Elijah had tried to warn Klaus about the danger Bonnie was in, it was too late. She had already been taken. Klaus briefly explained the situation to Elijah before hanging up.
"He said she was taken in a cloud of magic, dark magic he thinks," Elijah finished informing Lucy about what had transpired back at the plantation house a few minutes before.
Lucy closed her eyes. Her warning had come too late. "Only someone really powerful could've done such a thing." She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach; a single name came to her mind. I am going to end you, Lucy promised.
Elijah nodded. "Klaus called your mother and Abby, they're on their way to the house and Angelica is already working on a locator spell."
"Good," Lucy murmured. Please let Bonnie be okay, wherever she is. Please God, let her be okay. She thought. Her mother and Angelica could locate Bonnie; they were both very powerful witches. They would find her, Lucy felt certain of that. "Come on, we have work to do."
"We should go back to the house, we need to figure out who is behind this-"
"Give me a break!" Lucy interrupted angrily. "I think it's pretty obvious who did this, your bitch of an ex is behind this."
"We don't know that for sure."
"Who else could've been Elijah?" Lucy snapped. "The French Quarter Coven is powerless, Marcel maybe, but he would need one heck of a witch or an entire coven to pull this off. Bonnie was taken by magic and there is only one witch who is really powerful and really pissed at your family at the moment," she said. "That we know of," she added the last part as an afterthought.
Elijah pressed his lips together knowing that Lucy was right. Celeste was the only witch that fit the bill.
"It was Celeste, something inside me tells me she's behind this." Lucy moved closer until she was standing right in front of Elijah. She stared into his eyes. "We need to end this tonight Elijah. If you still have feelings for her and that's why you are hesitating-"
"I don't," Elijah interrupted. "I loved her once but…it's over." He stared into her eyes as he said it. He and Celeste had a history, a past that had been wonderful and tragic but Elijah had moved on. And even if he hadn't, he had always put his family first. He had done it two hundred years ago and he was more than willing to do it again. "Bonnie's safety is my priority," because Bonnie was part of his family now, Elijah would do anything to keep her and her children safe. "And if Celeste has her, nothing and no one," he said in a dangerously low tone. "Nothing on this earth shall protect her from my wrath," he vowed.
"Let's go then."
Lucy was more than ready to take down Celeste Dubois. That bitch was going to regret coming after her family.
Klaus was pacing like a lion inside a cage. He was agitated. The longer he spent without sensing Bonnie, the stronger the anxiety was. He couldn't stand it. Matt and Rebekah stood nervously on the opposite side of the dining room while Angelica chanted under her breath, deep in concentration. Across from her, Cary leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets as he watched the witch perform the locator spell.
A map of the world, with a few drops of Klaus's blood laid on top of the dining room table, surrounded by a bunch of white candles. Angelica moved her hands over it, as she repeated the locator spell again and again.
"What the bloody hell is taking so long?" Klaus muttered darkly.
"Nik," Rebekah shot him a look.
Klaus ignored her.
"It's not working," Angelica opened her eyes and stared down at the map. The spell hadn't worked at all. She didn't understand it. She could do this kind of spell with her eyes closed and half asleep.
"Try again," Klaus ordered. He felt on edge, he felt like the walls were closing in on him. He was desperate and Angelica's failure at finding Bonnie only made his temper flare. He was about to take it out on the first poor soul that walked in.
"She must be cloaked," Rebekah suggested.
"Maybe she's not in New Orleans," Matt proposed almost at the same time.
Angelica bit her lip. Even if Bonnie were cloaked, or somewhere around the world, the spell should have worked but it hadn't at all.
"The spell didn't work at all," Cary murmured. All eyes turned to him. "The blood didn't move in any direction." He had been staring at it. He knew how locator spells worked and Angelica's hadn't worked at all. If it had, Klaus's blood would've moved over the map in search of Bonnie's whereabouts.
Klaus and Rebekah stared at each other, silently having a conversation with their eyes.
"What does that mean?" Matt asked curiously. He looked at Cary before turning to Angelica. "Is Bonnie under a cloaking spell, is that why the blood didn't move cause it doesn't know where she is?"
"When someone is cloaked you can still sense them," Angelica said. "The magic prevents you from knowing exactly where they are but you can feel that person somewhere out there. In that case the blood would move aimlessly over the map trying to find the location." She explained nervously. "In this case, the locator spell isn't working at all. It's almost as if…"
"As if what?" Klaus asked. His expression was unreadable but Angelica could have sworn she saw a hint of gold in his eyes.
They all waited for her to say something.
Angelica took a deep breath and steeled herself. She knew the impact her words would have on everyone. "As if I was trying to locate someone who doesn't exist." She swallowed thickly and looked away from the hybrid as she said the rest. "Or someone who's dead."
Silence
Absolute silence followed Angelica's words. No one knew what to say or how to react to such statement.
Klaus was a statute. He didn't move, he didn't say anything.
Matt felt his stomach drop and he grabbed Rebekah's hand in a tight grip. Cary looked nervously at Klaus while Rebekah closed her eyes.
The moment was broken by the ringing of Klaus's cell phone. "Right now it's not a good time Felix," he muttered upon picking up. Don't think about Angelica's words, it can't be true. She's wrong, Klaus's mind was a hurricane. It took every bit of self control not to explode.
"Katie informed me that Sabine and Marcel have a deal," Felix didn't waste any time and went straight to the point. "Sabine took Bonnie but the spell backfired."
Klaus growled.
Felix had just given him the perfect outlet for his rage.
"She's not answering," Tyler said as he hung up. He had been trying to contact Bonnie but every single time he called her, he got her voicemail.
Christian's eyes narrowed. "Try again," he ordered. He didn't seem to believe Tyler.
Tyler shook his head. "I've called Bonnie a bunch of times now and she hasn't answered any of my calls. Maybe she doesn't want to talk to me."
"If you're playing games," Christian began as he took a step closer.
"Here, you try." Tyler handed him his phone.
Christina took it and dialed Bonnie's number.
Tyler kept his eyes on Christian's face the whole time. He did his best to keep a neutral face. The last thing he wanted was for Christian to see how relieved he felt that he couldn't get in touch with Bonnie. He didn't know why Bonnie wasn't answering any of his calls but he felt glad.
Hey, this is Bonnie I'm not able to answer your call right now, please-
Christian hung up.
Everyone was staring at him, waiting to see what he would do. He was in charge of the operation after all.
All the wolves felt on edge, they were waiting to make a move. It felt like they had been waiting for ages and the truth was that they were starting to lose their patience. This was supposed to be a mission to prove their loyalty to Franco and yet it was starting to turn into an odyssey.
"So much for a simple plan," Dwayne muttered under his breath. He was sitting casually in front of the table near the window, Sean was across from him. They had been playing cards to keep themselves entertained while they waited cooped up in the motel room.
Two other wolves paced around the hotel room nervously, while Christian's second in command sat on one of the beds, a laptop on his knees.
Christian's jaw clenched as he handed back Tyler's phone before pulling out his own cell phone. He dialed a number. It didn't take long for someone to pick up. "We can't reach the witch. I need you to do a locator spell and find her." That was all he said before hanging up.
"You have witches on speed dial?" Tyler asked visibly tensed.
"Franco has unlimited resources," Christian replied. "Once they find Bonnie, you will distract the hybrid and we will snatch the witch. It's quite simple."
Tyler didn't respond. He knew what his orders were. Shit! He thought panicking. Franco had witches working for him. Fuck!
Dwayne chuckled causing all the wolves in the group to turn to look at him.
"Care to enlighten us as to what is so funny?" Christian asked focusing on the young man.
Dwayne leaned back on his chair and placed his feet up on the table. "You keep saying this is a rather simple plan and yet every day it seems to be getting more complicated." He shrugged.
"And you have a problem with that?"
"Maybe I'm just wondering what's so special about this girl that Franco wants her so much." Dwayne responded staring at Christian. "I mean, aren't we supposed to be working to put the werewolves into power, to finally end the vampires' reign of terror and instead Franco is obsessed with some witch. What's the deal with her?"
The other wolves stood nervously looking back and forth between both men. They could all feel the tension in the room. No one had dared to question Christian before. The only one who looked like he didn't agree with the status quo was Tyler, but Dwayne had dared to ask the question in everyone's mind. As loyal as they were, as determined as they were to prove themselves to Franco, they had all wondered what the deal with Bonnie Bennett was. Why had Franco given them the mission to kidnap her?
There had to be something special about her right?
Tyler studied Dwayne's profile carefully. He wondered why the wolf was provoking Christian. There was something in the way Dwayne was looking at Christian, with some hidden emotion, Tyler couldn't quite catch. There was more to the wolf than met the eye. Tyler had spent a lot of time training with Dwayne after his arrival at the Navarro camp and for all intents and purposes, Dwayne seemed to worship Franco and to be in complete agreement with the Navarro cause. So why ask such questions now?
"You are here to prove your loyalty to Franco," Christian's second in command reminded them."You are to do as you are told, no questions asked."
"You can't blame a man for being curious." Dwayne said turning to him. "We're in Marcel's territory, you think they can't sniff a wolf a mile away?" he moved his eyes around the room as he said it. "And we're not here to kill Marcel or advance our species into power. We're going to kidnap the hybrid's woman." He shook his head. "Something just doesn't add up you know."
"What do you mean?" another werewolf asked.
"I don't know," Dwayne replied with a shrug. "Is this mission for the benefit of the werewolf cause, the cause that inspired and attracted us to join the Navarro clan in the first place?" There was a glint in his eyes as he looked at the group. "Or is this mission for Franco's own personal gain and if so, is it worth the risk?"
Silence
There was a moment of absolute silence.
"Be careful Dwayne," a low growl escaped Christian's throat. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the younger man with anger. "I don't think I need to remind you of the oath you made."
Christian met his eyes unflinchingly."I swore loyalty to the Navarro cause. I swore to help Franco restore our species to power," he said calmly, never taking his eyes off Christian's. "So you tell me, in what way does kidnapping Bonnie Bennett benefit the Navarro cause?" There almost seemed to be a challenge in his eyes and voice.
"She must be a really powerful witch." Sean spoke up for the first time. "That's why Franco wants her right?" he turned to Christian who was glaring daggers at Dwayne.
"But Franco has unlimited resources and witches already working for him," Tyler found himself saying without thinking. Franco didn't need another witch.
Christian turned to him and glared.
"Are we going to start a war with the Mikaelson's first?" another wolf asked.
"Is that the plan?"
"Is that a good idea?"
"Enough!" Christian yelled. "Not another word," he ordered. "You are here to complete a mission not to question our leader's orders. End of discussion." He glared at Dwayne. The wolf didn't seem to care.
Silence descended over the room again.
Tyler moved his gaze over every single one of the wolves inside the motel before his eyes finally landed on Dwayne who continued to calmly sit by the window. The seeds of doubt had been planted, Tyler was startled to realize.
Christian had ordered them to keep quiet and they were. But in their minds, they were also questioning Franco's motivations and actions. Most of the wolves had sworn loyalty because they believed in what Franco sold them, a supernatural world dominated by the werewolf species. That was the Navarro goal. That was the Navarro cause, not kidnapping another man's wife.
Tyler met Dwayne's eyes, the other wolf only grinned as if he knew some secret the hybrid didn't. He was very much aware of the seeds he had just planted in their minds. Who are you? Tyler wondered. What are you playing at?
Dwayne met his questioning gaze and smiled. Wouldn't you like to know? His eyes seemed to say back.
Celeste hurried out of Lafayette cemetery. Who? She wondered as she walked down the dark New Orleans streets. It would be morning soon and Marcel's vampires had yet to find Bonnie. The witch was nowhere to be found.
Who had tampered with her teleporting spell? Who had gotten to Bonnie?
At first, Celeste had assumed the witch had somehow teleported herself somewhere else but the Ancestors could not sense her in the word of the living, which meant that Bonnie had to be dead. The painful burned mark on her wrist was proof that the oath she made had been broken.
But who had done it?
Carrying Klaus Mikaelson's child definitely put a target on Bonnie's back. The hybrid had countless enemies; it was no stretch to imagine that one of them had managed to get to Bonnie and killed her. And yet, something didn't add up. Celeste couldn't help but feel something else was at play here. She rubbed her wrist again, what was she missing?
She stopped abruptly as she rounded the corner. "Following me again, Elijah?" her lips curved into a smirk as she turned around and came face to face with her ex-lover.
"Where is she?" Elijah hissed taking a menacing step closer.
Celeste grinned. "I have no idea-"
Elijah grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up a couple of inches from the ground. "Where is Bonnie?" he snarled. His vampire face surfaced. He was furious.
Celeste gasped and her eyes opened wide, not because of the choking hold he had on her but because she had never seen his vampire face. Elijah always prided himself in being in control. He had never once showed his true face to her, not even the times he had fed from her, until now.
There was a twinge of jealousy at the thought of Bonnie inspiring such devotion. With a wave of her magic Celeste broke Elijah's arm and pushed him away from her.
Elijah growled as he stumbled back by the force of Celeste's magic.
Celeste lifted her right hand and broke both of his legs. "Your arrogance is unbelievable."
Elijah sunk to the ground hissing angrily at her.
"I'm more powerful than you Elijah. Do you really think you stand a chance against me?" Celeste laughed. The Mikaelson's were on a league of their own when it came to their arrogance. "You're not as smart as you think you are." She stared him down and twisted her hand, her magic boiled his blood from the inside.
Elijah gasped as he began sweating and coughing blood. The pain was excruciating.
"I bet you and your brother weren't expecting this move from me." Celeste smiled viciously. She wished she were able to see Klaus's face at the moment, to enjoy seeing his pain, to enjoy telling him that his precious Bonnie was gone for good. "You should have known better darling Elijah," she continued angrily. "But as always you chose your brother's side." To this day, it still hurt. Despite his love and adoration of her, at the end of the day, Elijah's loyalty and love for Klaus had won. "Always and forever was the biggest mistake of your life. You-"
WHACK
Celeste's word's died in her throat as she fell to the ground unconscious.
"And you made the biggest mistake of your life coming after my cousin," Lucy hissed standing over the unconscious body, a shovel in hand. She had been under a cloaking spell, securing the place where they were going to take Celeste.
Elijah breathed a sigh of relief now that Celeste's hold on him had been broken. He stood up and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the blood off his chin.
"I was going to use magic to knock her out," Lucy told him, looking him up and down and ensuring he wasn't badly hurt. "But I figure a good whack in the head might do her some good." She had definitely enjoyed taking Celeste by surprise.
"You won't hear any complaints from me." Elijah smiled at her before he bent down, picking Celeste's unconscious body in his arms. "Is everything ready?"
Lucy nodded. "She dies tonight." She said meeting Elijah's eyes. Lucy knew what she had to do, she had been studying the spell for the past few days.
The Original nodded. "But first, we are going to get all the information that we can from her."
Lucy agreed with that. Celeste had the key to what happened with Bonnie. They would get their answers and then they would get rid of her for good.
Celeste was going to die and Lucy was going to make sure her spirit would never know peace.
Marcel drank straight from the bottle. None of his vampires had found Bonnie, they had looked everywhere but there was no sign of her in the city. He couldn't get Sabine's words out of his mind.
Bonnie is dead.
What the hell was he going to do now? He had made a deal with Sabine. He had been on board with the plan to kidnap Bonnie and lock her inside a mausoleum. The plan had failed and Marcel knew the minute Klaus found out, he was dead. He regretted making that deal with Sabine.
He had failed to protect Davina, he had failed to get her back and now he was a marked man. Fucking great, he thought bitterly as he took another gulp from the bottle.
"You okay?" Josh, one of the newbies asked. He didn't have a daylight ring so he had returned to the compound before sunrise caught him unaware. He wasn't the only one, all of Marcel's nightwalkers had returned to the compound.
"I've had better days," Marcel muttered. Everything was going wrong. It seemed for the past few weeks every single one of his plans failed. One way or another he ended on the losing side. Everything was going hell and he felt powerless to stop it.
The vampires inside the compound watched him. They were all waiting for further instructions. They were prepared; they had been prepared for the take down. But now it seemed there was a change of plans.
"Marcel," one of them said nervously.
Marcel turned to look at the vampire and took another gulp of the bottle of whiskey. He didn't say anything.
"Are we still following the plan?" the young vampire asked.
"You said we were going to take the Originals down," another one pointed out. "What are we waiting for?"
Marcel sighed, moving his gaze over each and every one of his guys. They were ready, he knew.
"We have father Kieran's objects," Diego said as he came inside the compound. "Let's finish this Marcel, we're ready." The Mikaelson's were probably searching for Bonnie. They would never see an attack coming. Now was the perfect time for a surprise attack. "Let's destroy those fuckers for good." With the dark objects Father Kieran had provided they could take the Originals down, of that Diego felt confident.
One by one all of the vampires began gathering on the first floor, all waiting expectantly for Marcel to give the order. They were excited, they were pumped for battle.
"Let's not wait. They're not expecting an attack," one vampire said twisting his knuckles. "Let's teach that arrogant son of a bitch a lesson."
Before Marcel could say anything, a cold sinister laugh echoed around them.
"You are going to teach me a lesson?"
All the vampires turned towards the front entrance at the sound of that accented voice.
Klaus stepped inside the compound, his usual smirk in place. "Young vampires are quite arrogant these days." He moved his gaze over the group gathered with Marcel. There was quite a large group of vampires inside the compound, at least half of Marcel's army.
Marcel swallowed nervously. Klaus appeared so calm and composed but Marcel knew him enough to see beyond the air of calmness he projected. Behind those bright blue eyes there was a storm brewing. He placed the bottle down on a nearby table and walked closer towards his sire. "What do you want Klaus?"
"Don't play the fool Marcellus, it does not suit you," Klaus replied coldly. "You know why I'm here. You know what you've done. What you took from me." Bloodshed was the way Klaus dealt with pain. And the pain he was feeling in that moment was excruciating. Everything he cared for had been taken from him and he was going to ensure all of New Orleans knew of his grief.
Marcel nodded. Klaus knew, he realized. Klaus knew he had been involved in the plan to take Bonnie. "Leave my guys out of this," he said. "This is between you and me." His men looked ready to protest but Marcel silenced them with a look.
Klaus seemed amused at Marcel's words. "You should've thought of that before coming after my wife," he hissed as his eyes turned gold.
Bonnie was gone, they couldn't find her anywhere and rather than let his grief, his pain destroy him, Klaus was using it to fuel his anger. He wanted vengeance, he wanted blood. He was going to get them both before sunrise.
The vampires around them tensed but they were also more than ready to take him on. They were loyal to Marcel to the very end. This was what they had been waiting for after all. Faces shifted and they all moved closer ready to pounce on the Original at any given moment.
"I never meant her any harm," Marcel said looking at him directly in the eyes.
"Oh Marcel, I taught you how to lie." Klaus tilted his head to the side watching him with those hybrid eyes of his. His face gave nothing away of his inner feelings or thoughts. He had an icy mask on. "You would think you would be better at it?"
Marcel growled.
Klaus moved further inside the compound, lazily moving his eyes over the vampires surrounding Marcel. "How would all of you pathetic lot like to die?" He asked out loud. "I'm feeling quite generous." His lips curved into a wicked grin. "Werewolf venom, ripping you limb from limb, crushing your puny little hearts out of your chest perhaps? Begging for mercy?" he taunted.
"Get out!" Marcel ordered turning to his men. "Leave us." He was smart enough to know that it the mood Klaus was in, there was no escaping. But he would try and spare as many as his guys as possible. He had made a mistake trusting Sabine but he was man enough to not only admit it, but to deal with the consequences too. He would not run, he wasn't a coward but that didn't mean his guys had to share his fate or pay for his mistakes.
"We're not leaving you." Diego said, hands balling into fists. "There is only one of him and over a hundred of us. We can take him." He hissed staring defiantly at Klaus. Since the moment the Original arrived in town, Diego had been itching to kill him.
"You think you can subdue me with this!" Klaus laughed, clearly unimpressed by their bravado. "You're all pathetic. Come on then!" He yelled. He wanted to fight. He wanted to let out all the anger, all the frustration, and pain he felt. He needed to. "What are you waiting for?" he extended his arms in clear invitation. "Come and get me!" he challenged.
The vampires didn't wait for Marcel's orders, they threw themselves at Klaus.
All hell broke loose.
Those first few moments were confusing. She felt disoriented, almost as if she were having an out of body experience.
She was on the ground that was her first conscious thought. Bonnie kept her eyes closed, feeling tired, almost in a dreamlike state. She didn't know how long she stayed like that; in many ways she was afraid to open her eyes. A wave of nausea hit her and she fought to keep it down.
In the next moment, Bonnie rolled to her side and pulled herself on her hands and knees as she proceeded to empty her stomach. Slight tremors rolled over her body and she shivered feeling suddenly cold. She left her cardigan in the living room and the thin white and sleeveless cotton blouse she was wearing did not help to keep the cold at bay.
Slowly very slowly, Bonnie blinked her eyes open. The first thing she noticed was that the cuts on her arms had healed completely. Thank god! She could still remember the pain as her skin had been viciously cut open while her magic fought not to let her be taken away. She breathed in and out, her arms shook, and her stomach felt queasy.
Another wave of nausea hit her and she vomited once more. She shivered and closed her eyes for a few moments hoping that it would pass. She didn't know how long she stayed like that but eventually she felt slightly better.
When Bonnie lifted her head she finally took notice of her surroundings.
The first rays of the morning sun were peeking through the leafless trees. Wisps of fog crept over the forest while a mantle of withered leaves covered the ground.
Bonnie winced when she felt a cold breeze hit her cheeks. She stood up on shaky legs, using a nearby tree to support herself.
Where am I? She wondered bewildered by the scenery. The forest was eerily quiet. There was nothing familiar about this place. She didn't recognize it at all. Am I still in New Orleans? She wondered as she looked around. All she could see were trees devoid of foliage. Out of all the scenarios she could've imagined this was the most unexpected ever. How did I get here?
Something felt wrong. There was something about this place, something dark and sinister. She felt uncomfortable. She didn't like it, just like she didn't like the dull pain in her heart.
Bonnie kept her right hand on the tree, using it as support while she touched her heart with her left. It hurt. She felt empty. There was a strange void inside her. Something was missing. She closed her eyes letting her senses guide her.
Her eyes opened wide as a cold realization suddenly hit her.
I can't feel Klaus.
It was a punch to the stomach which cut the air from her lungs. Bonnie tried again, doing her best to tap into their bond and locate Klaus but nothing. She couldn't feel him at all. She couldn't feel his emotions, she couldn't sense his presence. She couldn't feel their bond, only a strange emptiness that left a bitter taste in her mouth.
It was not like when he closed his side of the bond so she wouldn't be able to sense his emotions. No, this was different. This was ten times worse than that. When he did that, she could still feel him inside her; she could still feel his presence in her blood. Right now, she couldn't feel him at all. He was gone.
Oh god, oh god, no, please…She panicked. This couldn't be happening.
A gasp escaped Bonnie's lips and her entire body shook uncontrollably. The pain in her chest seemed to intensify and tears spilled down her cheeks. The bond was gone. She could no longer feel her connection to Klaus. Why? How? She felt like something had died inside her or as if a limb had been forcibly ripped from her without her notice.
She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. Her knees sagged and if it weren't for the fact that she was holding to the tree she would have sunk to the ground.
Her left hand moved from her heart and down to her stomach as a storm of emotions and terrifying thoughts moved inside her. She felt a slight tingle against her fingertips. Despite the anguish, despite the terror that had taken root inside of her, she managed a small smile. The twins were okay.
The knowledge that her children were fine gave her strength, the strength to pull herself together and figure out what to do. There was no time to dwell on her pain or her fear.
Bonnie took a deep breath and soldiered on. She wiped the tears from her face and pulled herself together. She needed to figure out what the hell was going on and make her way back to Klaus. She took a deep breath and did her best not think about the painful hole in her heart. That pain that was slowly eating way her insides had to be pushed aside. She needed to think and focus on what she had to do.
I need to find a way back home, she thought as she slowly began walking. All she could see were trees. Her breathing and the fallen leaves crunching under her shoes were the only sounds that reached her ears. She couldn't hear anything or sense anyone around her. What is this place?
Bonnie walked and walked aimlessly through the forest, trying to find anything, anyone that could give her a clue as to where she was. She crossed her arms over her chest and shivered from the cold. Goose bumps formed on her skin and she moved her hands up and down her arms trying to find some sort of heat.
She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted a man sitting on a rock a few feet away to her left. "Excuse me, sir?" she made her way quickly towards him. "Can you tell me where we are?"
He was rather old, his face was covered in wrinkles and he had white hair and glasses. He was wearing a grey cashmere sweater and dark pants. There was something about him. When Bonnie looked at him she couldn't help but think of death and decay. It was disturbing and she chided herself for such thoughts.
"Excuse me?" Bonnie tried again but nothing. He didn't acknowledge her, he didn't respond at all.
The older gentleman had his hands on his lap as he stared into nothing. He seemed sad, so sad and lonely. The closer she got to him, the stronger the smell of decay became.
Bonnie wrinkled her nose and fought another wave of nausea as she stopped right in front of him. He didn't look up. "Hello," she said. The man did not react at all. Maybe he was deaf and blind? She was tempted to reach out but that would be rude. "Excuse me," she tried again, nothing. The man was completely oblivious to her presence.
A giggle had her turning her head to the right.
A head of dark blonde curls popped out from behind a tree.
Bonnie frowned.
"He can't see you or hear you silly," a little girl with light caramel skin said as she stepped from behind the tree. She had a heart shape face, bright green eyes and a dust of freckles covered her nose. She was beautiful.
"Why?" Bonnie asked.
"He's not one of us," the little girl replied as she began making her way towards Bonnie. She was wearing a white lace dress with a matching bow on her hair. There was something about her, something familiar. Bonnie felt like she knew her.
"One of us…" Bonnie repeated feeling confused by the girl's words. "What does that mean? Who are you?"
"I'm Charlotte." She dipped into a graceful curtsy and bowed her head in Bonnie's direction before breaking into a fit of giggles. "I always wanted to do that." She extended her right hand. "How lovely to meet you."
There was something so enchanting about her. She radiated light and warmth and a sense of familiarity. Bonnie couldn't help but smile. "I'm Bonnie." The moment she took the girl's hand she felt a jolt. She felt her magic.
Bonnie gasped. "You're a Bennett witch."
The girl nodded. "As are you," she beamed.
"What is this place?" Bonnie asked suddenly. "Why am I here?" there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. A terrifying thought was beginning to form in her head and Bonnie hoped and prayed that she was wrong. She had to be wrong.
The little girl tilted her head to the side and placed her hands behind her back. "Don't you know?"
Bonnie shook her head. "Tell me where we are, please."
"The shadow lands," the little girl replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're in big trouble missy. You shouldn't be here." She bit her lip nervously. "I shouldn't be here either," she confessed nervously. "Mama will be furious when she finds out."
"Shadow lands," Bonnie repeated. The name sounded familiar. She remembered the night of the summoning and how Qetsiyah had talked about the other side and the different realms within.
Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her stomach tightly with both of her hands. Her entire body trembled. "Oh god…" No. Please no, her babies. This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be real. Klaus's words about the bond suddenly came to her mind as a cold sweat broke through her skin.
A blood bond can only be broken by death…
No, please, no. She thought with anguish. It could't be true. There had to be a mistake.
"Am I dead?" Bonnie asked in a tiny whisper. Had the swirling white fog that took her, killed her? She had given up fighting in order to protect her children and now she was here. Oh god! What have I done? Her bottom lip trembled and tears blurred her vision. She thought of her children, she thought of Klaus, and of her mom, her dad, and her friends. This had to be a dream, a crazy nightmare more likely. She was going to wake up and Klaus would be there and everything was going to be okay. This had to be a dream. This couldn't be real. She couldn't be dead.
If she had died she would've felt it right?
"It's okay," Charlotte said gently. "It can be a very dramatic experience, I know."
"Traumatic," a cold and disturbing voice corrected.
Bonnie's eyes flew open.
Charlotte glared at the newcomer.
The shadow of a woman stood next to a tree. She had long thick hair, swirling robes and her eyes were two cold and intimidating black pools. There was an air of doom about her, the stench of dead and decay radiated off her in waves. From behind her more shadowy figure emerged, sinister familiar shadows that sprung from the ground. One by one they began surrounding Bonnie and Charlotte.
The fog thickened and the temperature dropped even more as dangerous sparks of dark magic floated all around them.
Charlotte whimpered and moved closer to Bonnie, grabbing her hand in a painful grip. "This is bad," she murmured. "This is really bad."
The old man kept sitting on the rock completely oblivious to what was happening around him.
Bonnie's heart sped up, her whole body tensing with fear. She knew those shadowy figures, she had faced them before. They were the same vile and vicious creatures that pretended to be her grandmother and who had lured her into a trap in order to kill her children. Her body shook as she remembered their attack. "The spirits…" she murmured. Something finally clicked into place.
"Do you have any idea how long we have waited for this moment, Bonnie Bennett." The shadow woman's lips curved into a sinister smile. Since their failed attempt at killing the creature Bonnie carried, the spirits had been waiting for the right moment to strike again and the opportunity had presented itself on a silver platter with the teleporting spell. Celeste Dubois had unknowingly done them a great service.
"You brought me here," Bonnie realized. "I'm not dead," the moment of happiness she felt at realizing that she was alive and that she was on the other side because of the spirit's maneuverings was short lived as she realized the dangerous situation she was facing.
"We tampered with the teleporting spell." The shadow woman smirked as she walked closer, her flowing robes creating a small tornado of dried leaves in her wake.
The others followed her lead closing in on Bonnie and Charlotte-who was gripping Bonnie's hand so hard it actually hurt. The little girl was terrified and so was Bonnie. There were so many of them, far more than when they had attacked her in New Orleans. They were surrounded by the spirits and Bonnie had no idea what she was going do to in order to get out of this. Her magic felt different, she didn't know if she was going to be able to fight at her full potential or if the spirits were once again blocking her powers. She swallowed painfully. The spirits had the advantage and they knew it.
"You made it so much easier," the shadow woman laughed. By allowing herself to be taken Bonnie had rendered the magic protecting her null and the spirits had taken great advantage of it. "You were quite the easy prey," the shadow woman's eyes gleamed with triumph and the sound of her horrible and twisted laughter echoed around the forest, she was mocking Bonnie. She felt confident in the outcome of this meeting.
Charlotte's bottom lip trembled as the shadows moved closer.
"I'm not your prey," Bonnie hissed. She was afraid. She had no idea what the spirits had in store for her or if she was going to be able to use her magic against them. But the one thing she knew was that she was not going to give them the satisfaction of cowering in their presence. She was a witch, a Bennett witch. She was the queen of her coven but above all, she was a mother.
Bonnie would go to hell and back to keep her children safe, no matter what. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and prepared herself. If the spirits wanted war, she would give them war. She would end them once and for all.
Bonnie was determined to give them one hell of a fight.
A/N: The mark on Celeste's wrist is first mentioned in chapter 21. Thank-you so much for reading and reviewing, let know what you thought of this chapter. See you next time!