"Esther." She called the woman's name as she entered the house, a smile firmly lodged in place. For the first time since her husband had died, she was truly happy.
She had finally accepted Elijah's offer, and he had told her he would inform Mikael soon. So when she was asked to meet Esther, she hoped it would perhaps be about the wedding ceremony.
"Tatia, please." She walked towards where the other woman was standing, pages of spells and incantations before her. "It seems I require your assistance."
"My assistance?" She asked in confusion. "But I am not a witch." Esther looked as if she was about to lose patience, but seemed to be in control.
"No, it is not magic I require. Just a few drops of your blood." She said looking at her imploringly, "after what happened to Henrik, I have found a way to protect my children." Tatia looked in surprise, while she did not have particular affections for Rebekah, or Kol or Finn, she did care about Elijah and Nicklaus. "But first, I require your blood." Esther pulled out a small dagger and Tatia placed her hand on the table between them.
A few gasps escaped her when her blood was taken, but no harm came to her.
At least not that very night.
She truly should not have trusted Esther.
Once the speech was over, and Esther walked upstairs, Elena could feel the fear receding. Her heart slowed down as the woman walked away and suddenly, she was dreading the conversation she needed to have with Esther.
She didn't understand her fear of the woman, the visceral reaction she had to her, only knew that it was ingrained in her as though it was brand.
"Shall we?" Elijah asked as came down the stairs, offering her his hand.
"It is tradition." She said as he led her into the ball room, compartmentalising. She had become good at that lately.
"You do look quite lovely tonight Elena." He said as he took her in his arms.
"Thanks." She could see Klaus and Caroline dancing a few places away and caught his eye over her shoulder. He looked back at his partner, smiling down at her, and Elena felt as though she was being stabbed in the chest.
"I understand my mother wishes to speak to you." Elijah said softly and she broke away to look at her partner, who looked concerned.
"Yeah, she does."
"And do you know what it is about?" He asked her, and she suddenly realised why he'd asked her to dance in the first place. He didn't want anyone eavesdropping on this conversation.
"No, but she tried to kill me." Kol and Finn were the only Mikealsons who hadn't tried to kill her at this point. Well, the night was still young. "Maybe she wants to apologise."
"Perhaps. She says she's forgiven Nicklaus."
"Well, you know what they say about a mothers love." She remembered her own mother, how she'd always been there for Elena.
"Yes, but, it strikes me as odd. Our mother is not the forgiving sort." She felt something dark within her as she realised who she wouldn't forgive. After all, that was the reason her friends had tried so hard to unseal the coffin. "Can I depend upon you to tell me what she says?"
Mikeal had tried to kill him for a thousand years and now that he was gone, it was almost as if it was his mothers turn.
"Yes, of course." It was time to change partners then and Elena found herself face to face with Kol.
"It seems I am getting that dance I asked for." He said and she could see that despite the change in partners, Klaus was still dancing with Caroline. He was looking at her intently, as if she hung the stars and Elena had never felt such unjustified anger towards her friend. "He's telling her something about her winning some pageant." She heard his voice, close to the shell of her ear and turned sharply to see that he was smirking at her.
"What?"
"A commendable act, really. But it's quite obvious what's going on here."
"And what's that?"
"Those baby vampires chasing after you, my noble brother who values you even after you've hurt his family. Elijah has killed many other for far less darling. And yet you, you're interested in that mangly half beast we call our brother."
"I didn't know you hated Klaus."
"Nonsense, Nik is the only one around here I can ever enjoy my time with. He is quite insufferable however, with those dagger threats."
"I don't think I've ever heard anyone call him that." She said, "he'd probably be…angry if he heard you. Wait," she said frowning, "can he hear you?"
"Yes well, there is a reason he kept me daggered for a century. And no, he can't hear me over this noise you people call music. And when he doesn't have his head up his own arse, we get along quite well. As for him being angry, haven't you heard him? He's the hybrid." She let out a small laugh at Kol's imitation of Klaus' accent.
"You're funny."
"Yes, and you're changing the subject. Of all the people in attendance, why are you interested in my brother?"
"You're a little too close for a dance aren't you?" He was, his lips were almost brushing her jaw, and she could feel someone glaring at her.
"Is it the homicidal tendencies you're attracted to? Or the ones that were directed at you? I've heard some women like that."
"I'm not attracted to Klaus." She said pulling back to get some distance and dropping her voice an octave.
"Oh, come now, even I can see that you're jealous." He pulled her back into him again, letting his voice, silk smooth, wash over her. "Look at them. Look how he's making her laugh, how he's laughing, has he ever behaved like that with you? I doubt it." He hadn't. "That bracelet he gave her? It used to belong to a princess. Perhaps he thinks of her as one."
"It doesn't bother me."
"Your heart skips a beat when you lie."
"Why do you care?" She asked wondering what his angle was here. Why he was so interested.
"Because I want to torment him." She didn't need clarification as to who he was talking about. "And I can either make it look like the two of us are on the verge of becoming lovers or I can drain you dry," he moved her hair away from her neck, and she felt her pulse jump, "in the middle of this dance floor. Dealers choice."
Elena swallowed.
"You wouldn't actually bite me in the middle of the dance floor."
"Is that a challenge?" His eyes were dark and she wondered just what she had gotten herself into.
"Not exactly."
"I suppose you're just not as fun as Katerina used to be." She looked at him sharply. "Or even that friend of yours, perhaps that is the reason my brother seems to prefer her." She knew exactly what he was doing, goading her, trying to make her insecure. She had never been a particularly insecure person, not even when she was thirteen. That had gone out the window when she realised that even her face wasn't her own. That every person who had been with her had preferred Katherine first.
And Klaus, well, he had preferred two women who looked like her. And now, her best friend.
And Caroline and Elena had always been in some sort of competition. First, it had been over Stefan, then when she went out with Damon, she had made it clear they were locked in something competitive. After Tyler, things had been normal between them, but here they were again.
And she would be lying if she said it didn't affect her.
After all, he had told her Caroline was lovely, before this entire thing had started.
"I guess I'm just not as much fun." It was something she had accepted a long time ago, but suddenly there was something in her that wanted to be more. That was tired of playing by the rules. If he could bring her friend here after everything, then well, there was nothing wrong with her doing something a little crazy.
"Well darling, there is nothing wrong with a bit of spontaneity. Come on, just one little bite. You let my brother do it, after all." He said, as he moved the hand he had on her arm to her neck, running his thumb over the scar and she shivered.
"Kol…" Her voice was breathy for some reason, and she was cursing everything, her luck, the night and his ability to get under her skin. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew he was playing with her, could hear the warning Klaus had given her. And that was what pushed her over the edge. He would hate it if she let him. "Do it, if you dare."
He gripped her wrist then and brought it to his mouth, softly biting into it, paying no mind to the gasp that escaped her throat. She could see the way he was drinking from her, the wild look in his eyes and wondered what she had gotten herself into. Before she could say anything though, he had let her go, and was smirking at her with bloodstained lips.
"Didn't the vervain burn?"
"Oh, it was right at the edge of pain and pleasure darling."
"Kol." Klaus was behind them and she had never seen him quite like that before. She spied Damon and Caroline leading Stefan out of the room and looked down at the red on her arm. Elijah was at the centre of the room, talking about food, from what she could hear, distracting everyone.
"Nik, we were just having a bit of fun. Care to join?" He raised Elena's bleeding wrist to Klaus in offer and she almost got sick at what she had done.
She should've walked away from Kol a long time ago.
"We are going outside now." Klaus said and left, Kol following him, dragging Elena with him. When they were out in the night air, she was let go and Klaus was holding Kol by the collar of his shirt. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"Oh, come on Nik, don't be such a spoilsport."
"You think this is fun? That you can play with my doppelgänger?" Of course she was reduced to just another one of Klaus' possessions. She felt like a toy who his brother has almost broken.
"It is fun to rile you up. But you've never reacted like this before. I wonder why she's so important. I don't believe it's just because she looks like Tatia." She could see the set of his jaw and tried not to let Kol's words affect her.
"Kol, you will not go after her again. If you do..."
"Perhaps the reason she preferred me was because I didn't treat her like a possession." Elena frowned at the words, unsure when she had preferred him.
"The last time you treated a human like a human was about nine centuries ago. The beautiful priestess from that temple. Before you killed her a week later." She could see Kol's jaw set before he threw Klaus off him, pushing him backwards. "You brother, have no control over yourself. This is the only warning you'll get."
"Fine." Kol seemed suddenly agreeable, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "But just so you know, she agreed to it." He left them, nothing but a rush of wind and Klaus turned around to face her.
She swallowed at the look on his face, her heart pounding as he walked towards her, grabbing her elbows and pulling her towards him.
"What exactly were you thinking? Do you really have no sense of self preservation?" His voice was raised, more so than usual and she tried to control the erratic beating of her heart
"Why do you care? Let me go." He was staring at her, hard edges and dark eyes and she could see fire in them. The way he was looking at her sent shivers down her spine. He looked like he was on the precipice of something.
She could feel the rise of her chest when he brought her bleeding wrist to his mouth, wrapping his lips around it.
It was like he was reclaiming her, in ways that he was want to do. In ways that made sense to him. He let it go once it stopped bleeding.
"Is that it? Is that enough to make you feel like you're in control again?" Her words were soft, but they both knew there was an avalanche of anger behind them. He didn't say anything and she felt angry enough to scream. She didn't. "Our deal is off."
"What? Why?" He was frowning at her as though he genuinely didn't understand.
"Because I'm sick of your games. And your family as well. I'm not some object you get to keep for your amusement. I'm tired of it. You got to sacrifice me, fine. You get my blood, okay. But you don't get this. This part of me that's being torn apart over you, that feels some sort of sympathy for you. You don't get that part anymore. You don't get to tell me sad stories about your life and make me feel bad, only to turn around and use someone I care about. I don't know what sick twisted game you're playing, but I'm done being part of it. Now let me go." His hold on her only tightened.
"No."
"I don't care if you don't want to Klaus, you will let me go."
"This isn't a game. You think you're the only one being tormented? That you're the only one with...feelings you don't want?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Well, you aren't."
"Then why are you here with Caroline?" She couldn't help the hurt that seeped into her voice, her heart feelings as though it might burst from the pain.
"Why were you with my brothers?" She had the childish urge to say 'I asked first', but held her tongue, only raising her chin in defiance.
"Caroline is quite beautiful, lovely, she has a light in her." She had never had the urge to stab someone in the eye before.
She did now.
"But Caroline isn't...you." She winced knowing that was a point of insecurity for her friend. "And it isn't very fair, you have five potential suitors in attendance, why should I come alone?"
She didn't have much to say to that.
"And I thought if I brought someone like her, I wouldn't be affected by you. That obviously didn't work." She looked at him at his words.
"What are you saying?" She asked cautiously.
"This isn't some game to me. I..." he looked as if he was being physically pained to say the words, "I care about you."
She felt her lips part.
He was looking at her searchingly, as though he was trying to pull back layers upon layers of her skin, so he could gaze at the very soul inside of her. His eyes were dark, his gaze heavy as he looked at her and she realised that she wanted the only one who was insecure.
He raised one hand to cradle the side of her neck, and her blood was rushing, alight with desire at his touch.
It was almost as if she could feel everything, the scent of him, the rough callouses of his fingers, the sound of his breathing, see the red of his lips as he drew close to her so there wasn't distance remaining between them. He used his fingers to tilt her chin up and his other hand moved to rest on the small of her back.
"Do you want this?" His voice was soft and unsteady, things she had never imagined him to be. It made her think he felt just the way she did.
Vulnerable.
Out of control.
Untethered.
"Yes." She was ashamed at how breathless she sounded, but didn't get time to dwell on it before his lips were crashing on hers.
It was like she was on fire, every nerve in her body was on edge, like she was intoxicated by him. She leaned into the kiss, their lips moving in sync, raising her hand so that one was on the back of his neck and the other resting on his chest.
He was such a contradiction, soft lips and gentle hands, even as he kissed her like a man possessed.
For one, he was holding her almost reverently, his touch gentle as his soft lips pried hers open, while his tongue was inside her, trying to get a taste of every inch of her as though he was parched.
She didn't stop the moan that escaped her as he pulled her flush against him, tilting her head back to devour her as she held on to him, trying to give him as good as she got.
She could feel herself losing control as she lost herself in the sensation of him, his touch, his taste, the feeling of his lips on hers, and she felt almost heady with desire and want.
She didn't know long they stayed like that, clinging to each other, their desperation apparent, but she pulled back when she needed air. He rested his forehead against hers as she tried to catch her breath.
He ran his thumb over her bottom lip and she felt shivers running down her spine.
They knew that whatever happened now, they couldn't go back.
A/N : Well, I hope that was good. Let me know what you think. And I promise, Kol isn't being chaotic just for the sake of it. There is more to him.
Thank you so much for the follows, favourites and reviews.
And a special shoutout to sevensistersofsussex. Go check out her Klena story if you haven't already.
