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Chapter 52:
Snapping a couple of pictures, I lowered the camera to take in the breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower up close.
It was one thing seeing it on postcards and pictures, but another to be standing less than a mile from the actual landmark.
Seeing it distracted me from why I was truly here today – namely, to meet up with the mysterious Sloan and hear what she wanted from me.
Kol watched me like a hawk at a safe distance and reminded me in a text message to call for him if anything happened.
I was nervous to put it mildly, but a part of me was also curious about what Sloan was planning.
"Bonjour, Miss Dawson," an unfamiliar voice spoke beside me. "Shall we find somewhere a little more private?"
I turned to face the dark-haired woman and observed a spirit lingering beside her, which she seemed blissfully unaware of, was following her.
The spirit – a man with brown eyes, black hair and Eastern European traits – gazed at me with a stern look on his face and seemed intrigued by me.
"You must be Sloan," I responded with a forced smile. "Right here is appropriate. I don't trust you and I doubt I will until you tell me what you need me for."
"Straight to the point, I see. That's understandable. I need to reach someone on the Other Side and I've heard you might be able to help me. His name is Markos."
I folded my arms and shifted my gaze back to the man standing beside her, wondering if he was the man she wished to communicate with.
"Is he a traveler as well?"
Sloan nodded and followed the direction of my gaze, a hopeful smile spreading on her lips immediately.
"You see him, don't you?"
"That depends… are you Markos?" I quizzed the spirit.
"I am. You must be the young woman Kieran has been watching over recently. I remember him. He was involved in the capturing of Silas, yes?" he responded politely.
"I believe so, yeah. I'm guessing the travelers want to bring you back from the dead. Why?" If he were a potential threat to the world, then it would be best for me to stay out of it.
"I understand your reason for being suspicious of me, however, there is something you ought to know. A curse was placed upon the travelers many years ago because of Silas' actions and we simply wish to undo it. We cannot practice magic together."
"Right." I eyed him skeptically and pinched the bridge of my nose. "What do you need me to do for you again?"
"Deliver a message to my followers and instruct them on how to break the curse. In return, I will grant you immortality. You will never have to fear being at risk of dying again."
It was tempting to say yes and become immortal, but I knew too little about Markos and his intentions to make that kind of decision.
Not to mention, Kol seemed to prefer the human version of me over the reckless vampire one.
"I have to think about your offer…"
"We need an answer now," Sloan pressed. "Either you help us willingly or we'll make your life difficult."
"Is that a threat?" I retorted, shooting daggers at her with my eyes.
Sloan smiled arrogantly and stepped forward, a blade revealing itself in her hand that could easily hurt me.
"What happens if I say no?" I glanced in Kol's direction and frowned when I couldn't see him where he promised to be.
"One of the travelers will possess you and perform your task for you. It's not for nothing we're called travelers, Miss Dawson."
Gulping nervously, I shifted my gaze back to Markos and sensed a darkness within his soul that could prove to be dangerous to let out.
It seemed that these travelers hijacked our vacation and I could either follow their orders or potentially become possessed.
Then again, perhaps knowing what they were planning could help me in the end.
"I'll do it willingly," I concluded and stepped away from Sloan. "But I want Kol with me and I need your word on that you won't harm him."
"That is out of the question," she responded. "You will be joining us alone. Those are our conditions. Kol will prove to be liability to us."
"He knows a lot about magic, so maybe you should include him." I folded my arms and refused to back down, because Kol would bring Hell on Earth if I suddenly left with them.
"You drive a hard bargain…" Markos spoke and contemplated the decision. "Very well. I will allow you to bring him with you. Tell Sloan that."
I relayed the message to Sloan and although she was disbelieving of it at first, she eventually agreed to the terms.
Pulling out her cell phone, she texted someone she knew and a few minutes later, Kol returned from wherever he'd been.
He approached us with two other travelers and seemed a little… off.
I figured he was simply wary about dealing with the travelers and told him about the deal I'd made with the travelers.
Surprisingly, he didn't protest against the deal and backed me up completely – something I definitely didn't expect to hear from him.
"We will have to return to the U.S. as soon as possible," Sloan announced. "I'm sure our arrangement will run smoothly as long as you comply."
"You better not double-cross me, because if you do – it's not Kol's wrath you have to worry about," I spoke and gazed at my boyfriend. "Are you truly okay, Kol? With this?"
"Of course, Beth. If the alternative is them possessing you, then I'd rather have it this way," he answered. "The sooner this is over with, the sooner we can return to our vacation."
Nodding in agreement, I followed Sloan to her car that was parked in the area and said goodbye to Paris silently, wishing I'd had more time to explore it.
It felt like we'd barely had any time to enjoy the summer properly.
However, I knew that danger would follow me as long as I dated Kol and possessed these new abilities, so I accepted the change of course.
It did concern me that Kol suddenly seemed like a different man though.
I didn't know much about traveler magic, but I hoped it wouldn't affect him while we were with these strange witches.
He was silent during the flight as well and only spoke when I asked him a question or made a comment, but the sarcasm and playful tone in his voice seemed to be missing in his answers.
I dreaded that they'd either said or done something to him, and weren't being completely honest with me about their intentions.
Deciding to test something, I waited until we'd landed in Virginia to pull Kol aside and surprised him with a kiss.
He tensed up at first but eventually melted into it and returned the kiss half-heartedly.
Something was definitely different about him.
"Whatever happens then know that I love you, Kol," I whispered, struggling keeping a straight face. "I will always be there for you."
"I… feel the same about you," he responded and planted a chaste kiss on my cheek. "We'll get through this together."
Right. You big, fat liar, I thought and clenched my fist in anger. Whoever you truly are, I'm gonna get you out of my boyfriend.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, we followed Sloan again and headed to her coven's current hiding spot.
I wished I could contact someone and figure out how to expel the foreign spirit inside Kol given that they wouldn't undo it once I'd helped them.
So far, my instincts told me that they wouldn't allow us to walk away just like that.
The travelers' hiding spot was an old and abandoned farm several miles from Mystic Falls, so fleeing on my own was out of the question.
And I couldn't leave Kol with them knowing someone possessed his body.
As we entered the den-like 'home', I sensed Kieran's presence and abandoned Kol's side to move somewhere more private.
I needed to speak with him and hear what he knew about Markos.
"Kol seems different…" Kieran stated solemnly. "You should've stayed away from them, Beth."
"No. If I'd done that, they would've acted with violence and forced a spirit inside me, too. I need to earn their trust and hit them when they're vulnerable. They're up to no good," I answered. "What do you know about Markos? What does he want?"
"A place to call his home. He believes that traveler's magic is pure and the only true form of magic."
"I'm sure that's what got him killed."
"That and what he did to the doppelgängers. He's the reason why they keep returning and meeting one another. He needs them to break the curse."
"Then I have to warn Elena and Stefan… somehow." I frowned and released a sigh as I met Kol's eyes, wondering if I was looking at a stranger. I lowered my voice and whispered to Kieran, "How do I save Kol? You were a traveler. How does one possess another?"
"Remember the dagger Sloan threatened you with earlier? Obtain one and use it on Kol. It'll remove the passenger inside him without killing Kol."
As Kieran vanished, I searched for Sloan and observed the travelers around me, feeling their eyes on me.
They were as suspicious of me as I were of them and with good reason too.
This is unnerving. I don't like being isolated, I thought and suddenly felt a pair of familiar arms around me. How I wish I could help you, Kol…
"You need to save yourself," he whispered hastily into my ear. "I don't have much time before that bastard takes control of me again. Whatever I do… save yourself first."
My heart skipped a beat and I turned around quickly to look into his eyes, seeing the same love and affection for me in his eyes that I was used to.
"Kol…" I cupped his cheeks in my hands and parted my lips to speak, but he closed his eyes and as they opened again, I knew my Kol was gone for now.
"You should get some rest. It's been an exhausting journey," he suggested. "I will be right nearby if you need me."
Squeezing my eyes shut, I held back the tears that brimmed in my eyes and embraced him tightly.
I would get Kol back somehow.
I would do anything to hear him speak instead of this stranger.
Leaving him with the travelers, I put on a brave face and approached Sloan to speak with her before I rested my weary mind.
I also needed to get ahold of that damned dagger and I didn't care if I had to kill her to get it.
She'd already fucked me over once and there was no doubt in my mind that she would do it again if it meant she'd get what she wanted.
"Sloan! We need to speak," I spoke up, interrupting her conversation with another traveler. She excused herself from the conversation though and turned her attention to me. "I'm pretty sure getting a traveler to possess my boyfriend wasn't a part of our deal."
It was better if I confronted her about it, because it was impossible for me to act oblivious to the fact that a stranger controlled Kol's body.
"Consider it insurance… Besides, you insisted on bringing him with us," Sloan defended. "I'm simply taking precautions."
"Well, next time you 'simply take precautions', I'll show you what it means to be pissed off. No more secrets or hidden agendas."
Sloan raised an eyebrow and laughed, finding my anger and threats amusing. "If I were you, I'd be careful with who you're threatening. We can easily find a new medium. Don't forget that."
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