AN: Hello again! It's been much longer than I wanted since I last updated! So for that, my apologies. I guess one could argue life happens, and so does writer's block and some personal issues, but I truly didn't mean for it. But please, never worry, I'm committed as ever to finishing this story. Since people are reading this, it means you were hanging in there with me while I struggled with how to steer this story.
I wanted to begin by thanking everyone for that and thank you to everyone who commented. It means so much and helps me get through unexpected blockages. To alleviate my blockage a bit, I've been busy writing for two different fics (one for Stranger Things, which is an OC/Steve story as kinda requested, and another one about Avatar the Last Airbender with another SIC; but both are not ready for uploading yet, but if you're curious, let me know).
For this reason, I've decided to change the updating schedule to once each two weeks. It might be more often, but it gives me the time to deliver chapters I might be more pleased with, although, I somehow doubt I will ever be truly satisfied. Anyway, updates every two weeks on Friday. This means the next update will be on December the second (but I might be able to get the next chapter out before that considering how this one will end^.^)
For a change, I'm actually quite happy with this chapter. Which is something that doesn't happen very often. Anyway, Enjoy!
Cheers,
Anna
o.O.o
Chapter Forty-Four, House of the Hollow
We held each other's gaze for a moment, me not daring to breathe and he took me up with the glint of an almost ancient predator. He was taller than me, but not overly tall, I noticed. Yet, all the same, taller than me, and, broad-shouldered, gracefully athletic, long-limbed and leanly muscled. His hair was a mess. And he'd lured me here without even having to try. My stomach twisted and I tried to take a step backwards, but Mikael cocked his head, shooting me a pointed look.
"The newest doppelgänger," he drawled, his eyes narrowing.
"You're Mikael—" I croaked, my mouth as dry as ash. The woman at my feet, he'd killed. He lay in wait for me. Why bother when his Steph-son was right here as well? I let my eyes glide over him, a strange numbness curling around my stomach. His eyes were jaded, cold and blood dotted the collar of his shirt. Human blood I supposed, and I offered him a saccharine smile. "I thought you didn't kill humans?"
"I don't feed on them."
"I see."
So he was a hypocrite. I slowly inched backwards, my lower back hitting a side table, and something cool and papery, almost soft fluttered against the back of my neck. My hand inched back behind me, steading myself and my fingers skipped over the cool, smooth surface of what I thought must have been a vase and I mentally went through my self-defence classes. They didn't mean shit when faced with an adversary like Mikael, but— surprisingly my heartbeat remained even.
"What do you want from me?"
Even my voice sounded detached. I wondered if this is how a doctor would feel whenever he had to sit a patient down for a bad news conversation. Or perhaps my body was preparing to fight? It was probably useless— But, but did that really mean I shouldn't at least try? Mikael smiled. It was an unpleasant smile and I gripped the vase's neck tightly. "I have many plans, little Doppelgänger."
"And I can only imagine I won't live through them, will I?" I asked, my knuckles blanched white.
Then I twisted, hauled back, and threw the vase across the room and at Mikeal's face. I didn't wait around for the ceramic to either hit him straight in his face or shatter all over the floor and bolted out of the door. It was a stupid move. A move bound to go badly for me, but I still ran as fast as my feet could carry me. I'd made it almost to the wiry stairs leading downstairs, pushing through the double doors leading up to them, when an arm closed over my waist, jerking me back. I gasped, struggling again, and cursed with how feeble I was against the strength of a vampire.
"Well, well, she has some fighting spirit."
"Get off me!" I snapped, pushing my hands against his chest. He didn't move, he wasn't even bothered if the steady rise and fall of his rib cage or the strong, even beat of his heart, was any indication.
A shadow crossed over his face. "It seems you're not planning to play along."
I snorted. "Why would I?"
His lips remain curved upward. "Oh, well, no matter." He drawled and an ominous feeling crawled over me.
Footsteps sounded from the hallway, audibly heavy, and then the door to the stairs was swinging open and— the world blurred. The background noise of machines bleeping, whizzing and whirring, dropped away and instead, we were surrounded by dark trees and low-hanging bushes. Patches of wildflowers bloomed where the gaps in the dense canopy allowed it and we were utterly alone. I was utterly fucked.
Shit, shit, shit. I tried to steady my body and thoughts, rolling nausea from moving so fast. Tried to calm down enough to think logically, but the only thing I could do was struggle. No matter how futile it seemed, I wanted to at least have fought. I wanted to— The world blurred again and I was thrown across the clearing. The breath I'd been holding was forced from my lungs as I hit the ground and something rammed into my temple. My face snapped to the side and the world rotated, blurred and then finally, turned black.
When I regained my senses, I was sitting. I could tell — of course, I could — and my head was lolling forward. A painful ache had settled in the back of my neck and the base of my skull. I felt heavy, almost immobile. For a few seconds, I wasn't sure what had happened.
My confusion didn't stay long though, and, instead the memory of Mikael with that zealous gleam in his eyes and the vicious smile filtered through my head. My fingers twitched and my heart rate quickened, slamming harshly against my sternum, but I held still, and kept my eyes squeezed closed.
For a while, I remained that way, listening for a sound. When nothing seemed out of order, my eyes snapped open and flitted around. It was daytime, and even though the room I was in had boarded-up windows, beams of sunlight filtered between the panels and splayed out onto the floor.
I massaged my fingers across the back of my neck. I had no idea how long I'd been under exactly and slowly moved to my knees, my fingers moving to my cheek, across my cheekbone and towards my temple. There was a bit of dried blood smudged there but otherwise, I seemed fine.
Wiping the red away with my thumb I let my eyes glide along the walls, over the door at the far side to the right and the handful of broken furniture.
Everything about my mostly wooden surrounding screamed old and abandoned.
A thick layer of dust had accumulated on the floor, only recently disturbed by someone and sunlight danced over the dirt and cobwebs. In one corner a desk resided. Long narrow lines crisscrossed the table top and a pair of ratty, blackened curtains fluttered in what I could only imagine was the drafting.
Where the fuck was I?
I slowly got to my feet, swaying slightly. It took a moment to fight through the strange fatigue that pressed against my arms and legs and I bit my bottom lip hard. Where was Mikael? Eyes flitting through the dust-covered room, my eyes landed on the door.
The same strange blackened stains on the curtains were on the door, and I forced myself to cross the room on unsteady feet. The floorboards creaked beneath me and I placed my palm against the wall to steady myself. It was spongy beneath my touch, steeped with moisture and what else and I shivered. Would these panels hold my weight everywhere, if this was how the walls were? Or would I fall through it?
An ominous feeling crawled over me. What was worse? Falling through the floor now? Or being killed by Mikeal? Falling to my death it was and I wrenched the door open. The landing creaked ominously but I ignored it. The halls looked no better if not worse than the room I'd woken up in. The floor was spangled with debris, and the windows were either boarded up or broken. Some walls were black and warped and blistered and I thought there must have been a fire here.
I supposed it was a while ago and I stopped in front of a set of equally unreliable-looking stairs. However, they looked more appetizing than being gruesomely murdered and inhaling deeply, I took the first step. The wooden stairs beneath my feet protested loudly as I ascended and I inhaled deeply when I'd finally reached the last of them.
Tucking my hair behind my ears, I stepped into a hall downstairs. There was a bit more light but around here, the wood-paneled floor was smeared with soot and ash. A charred shell, revealing its wooden remains while details had been eaten, blistered, cauterized away. I frowned. Whatever had happened here?
As I wandered further down the hall, and towards what I thought must have been the front door, something moved in my peripheral vision. I yelped and scrambled back, my feet slipping. I toppled backwards, sending a plume of dust into the air and hitting the wooden steps hard. Someone else had emerged from the warped doorway to my left and was now leaning against the wall. A man, I noticed. He was tall with a morose expression and long oily hair, dressed in an odd set of clothes that seemed a bit out of time.
"Good, you're awake."
"Who are you? Where are we? Wha—" I gasped and finally recognition sparked through me. "You're Finn! Finn Mikaelson! You're the eldest— What do you want from me?"
He cocked his head to the side, looking me up and down. His eyes were dark and his long hair hung in filthy clumps around his face. He looked like he'd just been recently undaggered and I took a few deep breaths. He didn't seem unreasonable in the show, mostly just wanting to die— to end his wretched existence, but I'd known what happened in the series all along and the reality had already proven to be quite different. There was no Esther to diffuse the situation. There was no reason he would care if I lived or die. Who was to say I would survive this encounter with him?
"Be at ease, Elena Gilbert," he drawled easily, his voice odd, groggy, "I will not harm you."
"Right," I mumbled, my voice high and the need to run pounded through me.
"Not as long as you behave."
"Do I look like a dog to you?" I whispered.
"We may not be able to compel you, child, there are other ways to get your collaborating and compliance."
"I thought you wouldn't hurt me?"
"Again," he said, squinting at me, waving his hand for me to follow him "as long as you behave."
It seemed cleverer to bide my time and I slowly paddled after him, wrapping my arms tightly around my waist. He led me into the kitchen. It was in better shape than the rest of the house and even had a kitchen table with two high-backed stairs that looked strong enough to support someone sitting on them. They took up most of the room and I paddled towards the window. I looked out, peering through the slight gap between the panels. The house was surrounded by a thick line of dark trees, no one or nothing habituated in sight and I swallowed.
"Where are we?"
He snorted. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Fine," I mumbled, staring at the debris stacked on the counter, "What the hell happened here?"
"I believe people were burned here. I can't say I care." Finn shrugged uncaringly.
"People?" I echoed and my eyebrows scrunched together. Something had begun to tug at the strings of my heart. A sensation that felt familiar and yet alien at once. "You mean witches?"
"I believe so, yes."
An invisible hand grasped my heart, sending pinprick lightning throughout my body and I shivered. Was this the witches' house? I could think of no place in the series that would look like this. The darkened stains on the walls, the doors and even the curtains that hadn't wasted away, originated from a fire. These were the witches that would help Stefan from beyond their graves to take down Klaus. Why would they not help Mikael do the same? Although it made little sense why they would help Mikael— He didn't seem like the most patient vampire in the pot either and licked my lips.
Finn had taken a seat at the kitchen table, back slouched and face grim. His skin looked somewhat greyish and I took a hesitant step forward. "You're not well, are you?"
"You don't stand a chance against me."
"That's not what I meant," I mumbled and drummed my fingers against the tabletop, thinking of how to turn the tables. Of how to get out of this mess. "What I meant— did you feed? Enough that is? Again, you don't look well."
"Are you offering?"
"No."
"Then please, be quiet."
My nails dug painfully into my hands as I tried to suppress my irritation and I licked my lips. What, was I supposed to stand here, awkwardly, waiting until either Finn or Mikael came and kill me theatrically and most likely very painfully? I could only imagine I would be the bait to lure Klaus in and Mikael would probably love to kill me right in front of him, seeing his dreams of a hybrid army dwindle before he'd take that stake to his son's heart. I had to find a way out of here…
"I'm going to explore. If I only have a few more— hours— I'm going to find something to do."
His nostrils flared, "I'll know when you overstep."
"Whatever."
"I mean it!" He drawled after me, and I paddled out of the kitchen.
Finn might know when I would overstep, and perhaps stronger than I was, he was also the only weak link I was going to encounter. I didn't think he had his full strength— yet. And if he didn't, I could get out of here, I just had to get the upper hand. I knew there had been a cellar, which I thought held all kinds of old stored furniture, but what good would that do me? Upstairs, there had been a few windows not boarded up, which was a way to get out of the house, but how to get down to the ground? If the walls were bad, I could only imagine what state the roof was in, and I doubted it would hold my weight well.
I moved through the house, inspecting any and every room. They were all much the same. Blackened by the fire that had eaten at the house decades ago and almost every window was boarded up until I found myself in the remnants of the living room. There was a crystal chandelier sitting in the middle of the room, next to a broken table. It was the first room where the entire window was not only not boarded up, but the glass was also in one piece. However, a large part of the ceiling was torn away and debris littered the floor, but— there was a window. A complete, smudged window.
I moved forward, dodging the mess and stared outside. The garden looked overgrown and untouched, the property surrounded by tall, rough trees and I swallowed. If I could get outside, I might be able to get away. I only had to find a house owned by a human and get inside. I would be safe somewhere inside and I could overthink what to do afterwards.
But first—
I had to deal with Finn. Letting my eyes glide over the room again, I frowned. The wall closest to the door was burned the worst, several cabinets blistered and their contents spewed across the floor. Shivers and pieces of broken wood stuck out at odd angles of the cabinet and I reached out, picking up a long narrow piece of wood. I thought it must have once been the leg of a chair, but now it had a sharp point. I let my thumb brush across the jagged edges and bit my lip. I could use it as a stake if I played my cards right.
My teeth sunk deeper into my lower lip. Amed with a common wooden stake, I wouldn't actually be able to kill Finn, but I could slow him down considerably. Stake him, take his daylight ring and get to the woods. I thought I'd actually have a chance escaping through the dense foliage and I pushed it into my waistband, dropping my shirt over it. It was unpleasant against my skin, but I thought it didn't look too obvious.
I moved to the window again, fingers curling around the latch and pushing against the wood. The lining was swollen and cracked and I dug my nails into it to set it loose. To push it open. I made more noise than I had to, my entire plan revolving around Finn hearing and coming to investigate.
I would only get one chance.
The window was stuck, unmoving, and I gripped the handle, wrenching it upward and using as much strength as I could to push it upward. It still didn't bulge at first, but then, finally, it creaked open. I let out a loud sigh and then something in the air changed; like an electrical current buzzing through the air before lightning would hit and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge. I almost heard the whirring through the air and my shoulders locked in anticipation.
Adrenaline rocketed through my body and I gasped when a hand curled tightly around my upper arm, spinning me around, and yanking me close.
Finn's face was still ashen, but a bit paler in anger, and his grip on my arm was unforgiving. "I thought I warned you," he hissed, sneering down into my face. "I warned you to behave."
"True," I agreed, gripping the handle of the stake, "but why should I listen?"
Adrenaline pulsed through me as I twisted in his hold, wrenching the stake upward. My aim was good and I watched Finn's eyes widen almost comically before grey veins slithered up his neck and he collapsed forward, taking me with him. The floor whined when my back impacted with it and I gasped, stilling.
When Elijah had been stabbed by Damon he'd died for a while, but— Fuck it! If he moved or not, I wouldn't get another chance like this and I rolled over, pulled myself upright on the checkerboard floor and pushed away from the body. The backs of my arms and legs were coated in soot but Finn didn't move anymore. The world was silent and still and with trembling hands, I reached out for his hand. Somehow, I'd expected a ring that had been around someone's finger for millennia to come off harder, but it slid free easily and I let it drop into my back pocket.
I sucked in a breath. I'd actually stabbed someone and my hands shook when I went for the window again. The handle still didn't bulge, but this time I was ready and kicked at the frame until it jarred loose. The glass flopped forward, shattering on the ground below and I swallowed, staring over my shoulder at Finn again. His skin was still grey and the stake was still lodged in his chest.
I supposed it was a small miracle I had managed to slip my weapon of choice past two ribs and straight into his heart. Swallowing, my eyes strayed to the broken furniture and in a fit of something I couldn't name I snatched up another chair leg.
I heaved myself up on the sill. The wood whined loudly in protest but I ignored it, shifting to the ledge and pushing off. For only a second the air wooshed past me before my feet met the ground and flopped forward with a yelp, sinking a few inches in a combination of mud and moss.
For a second I let my nerves flutter through me. Everything was washed with a cold blue light as the sun faded behind the tops of the trees. The clouds, dusty shades of grey, moved lazily across the dewy sky and birds sang loudly. I couldn't believe my plan actually worked and I brushed the hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ears. The tall grassy plain stretched out before me and my heart was hammering with a mix of relief, wariness and fear. I didn't know how long Finn would be out and although I could imagine the anger I'd stirred inside of him, I wouldn't sit and wait for my death.
Not again.
Never again!
I was done playing by someone else's rules.
I glared at the mass of foliage, at the ancient trees with twisted limbs alongside huge tree ferns entwined with vines of ivy. At least the foliage would hide me from view.
I pushed my newest stake into my waistband and bolted across the grass. Every second I waited, I hesitated, was laden with the probability of being discovered or pursued and I forced myself to go even faster. Being a cheerleader, even if I hadn't been too active lately, insured me having good endurance and I thought I'd managed to get quite a bit away from the house in little time.
I wasn't sure how long I had been running, only that the shadows had lengthened and the sun had descended, hanging low in the sky. Warm orange light burned through the haze of greenery above my head and the air felt heavy with moisture. The only thing breaking the stillness was my loud, heavy breathing. I couldn't stop now. Besides the Original vampire who I staked, I could only imagine what kind of hungry predators lurked there and stood in one spot for a prolonged period of time. Not a good idea—
Inhaling deeply, I steadied my breath, ignored the squirming of my stomach and forced myself into a maintainable jogging pace. The ground levelled out and I slipped down, fingers clawing for purchase in the earth. I'd reached a curving, shallow stream, and I peered at it. Water.
"Water makes tracking harder," I thought wildly.
Or it did in television shows when a dog was tracking a scent. I thought vampires tracked much the same, being able to follow specific smells. I scrambled to my feet and moved to the choppy, iridescent water. The water was chilly and my feet sunk away into the muddy bank. I shivered when I dropped to my knees and splashed water over my chest, and my arms cupped the water between my hands and poured it over my head. The water smelled putrid, and I had no real idea how much this would actually mask my scent to the sensitive nose of a super-hunter, but at least I could try.
Slopping through the water, I followed the stream to a dark lake and waddled in deeper. The trees hung low over the lakebed at one side, while at the other rough rock ascended into what I thought must be a hill of some kind. The ground beneath me gave away and I gasped. I sank beneath the surface, accidentally sucking in mud and water and I kicked off violently when my feet touched the muddy ground. Breathless and panicked, I had to swim, sharking towards the hillside. Goosebumps were already spreading out over my arms and I sighed in relief when my hands pressed against the rocky surface. It was warm enough outside to forgo a jacket, the air damp and almost humid, but it wasn't for a swim and once I thought I'd soaked long enough I heaved myself out. Clawing at the rocky walls, finding purchase in the ribbed columns of rock, I inhaled deeply, taking a moment to catch my breath.
I'd found myself at a sheltered spot, hidden from view by a combination of rocky mass and low-hanging trees. I crouched low, steadying myself and considered which way I should go. I was never a girl scout so whatever side the moss grew on a tree or where the wind came from meant zilch to me. I supposed climbing up until I had a better view of the surrounding landscape was an idea. Or I should travel downhill?
"If I survive all of this I'll become a girl scout," I mumbled before pushing up to my feet, and clambering laboriously up the rocky slope to the ledge above. Pushing forward, I ignored the way my clothes clung to my body, nor the way my fingers started to feel stiff and chilly. It didn't take long before I found a small narrow path sloping down the rocky landscape, nor for the trees to rise up high around me again. This part of the forest existed out of clustered needle trees, rising far overhead. The trunks of the trees soared upward for almost twenty feet before branching out, blocking the sun and then I froze.
I could hear the distant hum of traffic. The buzzing and whirring of cars in the distance and my heart skipped a beat. Cars meant people— and people meant civilization. Slapping my hair out of my face, I went in the direction I thought the sound was coming from. Among the humming of the cars, I heard the wind among the needles of the pine branches, the soft twittering of birds and the zooming of insects. It was all rather lively—
Until it was not.
Time was an illusion at this point and as the path narrowed, a twig snapped into the depths of the forest. Everything around me had gone quiet— a quiet that was not normal and something vicious, painful and terrifying curled along my spine. The fine hairs of the back of my neck stood on end. I could only imagine this was how the prey felt once it realized it was being stalked by the wolf and my heart rate spiked. Stumbling back, I almost lost my footing, turning around back towards the hillside.
My instincts were screaming to run, but running meant exposing myself, so instead, I kept low, trying to keep myself hidden behind the tall grass. When I got the chance, I dove for a cluster of bushes, scrambling on hands and knees for the rocks. Just as I noticed a small crevice in the stones, I felt a strange pull beneath my midriff.
I heard it a second later, a whir of some kind. A whoosh if you would, and I wedged myself into the small crevice. I wasn't entirely sure how I'd felt something so instinctual but my breath caught in my throat when Mikael himself materialized suddenly. Just at the foot of the hill, tilting his head appraisingly, his eyes scanning his surroundings. I didn't think he'd noticed me yet but with my heart hammering wildly, it was only a matter of time, and I fumbled for the stake still pressed intimately against my stomach.
I had no idea how I would ever overpower someone like him, but I felt slightly better for having it. The rough, splintering wood a welcoming weight in the palm of my hand.
"I know you're here, little girl," he spoke suavely. I thought I saw amusement lurking about his mouth and again his eyes travelled around. "And I must say, I'm impressed."
There was something so cold and jaded about his eyes, I took a firmer grip on my weapon. Where I could occasionally see the touch of humanity in Klaus, I saw no such thing in Mikael, and that animalistic fury made me all the more afraid. My fingers curled so tightly around the wooden chair leg, the skin on my knuckles turned a bleaching white.
There was no way I could overpower him— No way I could somehow sneak up on him—
The only chance I would have would be if I got close enough. And he would never allow me near, waving a stake, I supposed. Reluctantly, I pushed my weapon back in the waistband of my jeans ad I crouched low.
"Come out now," Mikael drawled out, "the longer you make me hunt, the worse it will be."
He was moving towards me and I pressed myself back as far as I could, but my hiding place wasn't deep enough. As nicely hidden as it might be I didn't think it was deeper than two feet and soon he would come upon me. My muscles tensed and my hands started to shake. I would have to act fast—
I would—
Blue eyes blazed down at me a moment later, and my breath came thick in my throat. He moved faster than anything I'd ever seen before, snatching my arm and moving fast. I was slightly disorientated when my back hit the stone wall of the hillside, away from my little crevice and his hand shot out around my throat. The shock of impact reverberated up my spine and I clawed at his wrist. I squirmed madly, trying to escape, but he was a lot bigger than I was. It didn't deter me in the slightest.
"Get off!"
Mikael eyed me speculatively. The muscles of his forearms ridged his shirt, his fingertips tracing the line of my throat, settling above my pulse point. "I must say, I didn't expect you to be so calculated."
"You underestimated me," I agreed, and gripped the handle of the stake, I wrenched it upward.
His grip loosened when I drove it up into his side. I pushed it as far in as it would go and felt immense satisfaction when Mikeal's eyes widened in surprise and a grunt left his lips. He swayed on his feet and his hands fell fully away from me. I stumbled backwards, twirling around and flopped on the rocky ground beneath me. I braced myself on the rocks, climbing up the slope, and heaved myself over the ledge. I stumbled to my feet and I ran. I didn't think I'd ever run so fast nor had I ever thought I would stab two people in one day—
There was a rush behind me, followed by that same pull beneath my midriff and I glanced over my shoulder. Mikeal, for who else could it be, rushed forward, a blur so fast I barely had time to react. His hand curled around my upper arm again, his face stretched in an irritated snarl and he shook me. My normally logical thinking took a backseat at that. I clawed at his face with my left hand and kicked him in the shins. It did no damage and instead, I drove a knee viciously into his thigh. I was aiming for something higher and Mikeal snarled.
In one smooth move, he had turned me around, my back to his front and pinned my arm behind me. There was a popping noise followed by a white-hot-agony and a scream wrenched itself free from my throat. I thought he must have dislocated my shoulder as my arm fell limp at my side and black spots started swarming the edge of my vision.
"That was a very stupid move, Little girl!"
I blinked against the tears and glared at him, my lips trembling. There was blood on his shirt now, having spread from his side to the hem of the garment. I wondered if I should have inched the stake higher or if he was just that much stronger than his children. No matter if it was a stake to the heart, as long as it wasn't a white oak stake, he wouldn't be down for long. Not even for a few minutes?
His shrewd eyes flickered over me, evaluating, considering me and my breaths came in odd, growling whimpers. He smiled derisively, "You know how to fight."
"I know the basics," I gasped out, and took a few deep breaths, grounding myself, and ignoring the pain. Slowly the world came back into focus, my right arm cradling my left as it hung limply at my side. "I have no illusions though."
I saw amusement lurking about his mouth as his eyes travelled the length of me. He licked a little blood away from his lower lip. Somehow that little gesture made my stomach churn nauseously. "No, and yet, you still tried, little girl."
"We fight for survival," I whispered, pain centring around my shoulder, pulsing down my arm and making my fingers tingle. "I— that's just human nature. I'm, after all, just human."
"Oh no, you are something entirely else."
"And what's that?" I ground out.
"She's your leverage." Klaus' voice answered coldly.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose and a vicious, gloating smirk spread across Mikael's lips. He twirled me around, fast, my hair whirling around me, and pressed my body against his. I felt the bite of a blade against my throat a second later. "Hello, Niklaus."
I had to crane my neck away from the blade, awkwardly angling my head against Mikael's shoulder and watched helplessly as Klaus appeared from between the high, menacing trees. His body was framed by the growing dusk and his smile was empty and cold. "Hello, Mikael."
To be continued…
A/N: End Notes: As always, please leave a review! Even a few words of encouragement or constructive criticism would be wonderful!
Thank you for reading!
