Chapter 8: Mine - Part 2
Posted: December 26, 2021.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!
Her chest rose and fell, softly. Mahogany tresses fanned across the snow-white silk pillowcase and an angelic half-smile graced her pink lips. The witch wasn't how he thought she would be with her humanity off. Like his sister reminded him, he had never known of a witch with her humanity off. Admittedly, Klaus previously expected a 'Katerina Petrova-esque' aura, but the Bennett witch did not disappoint, for when Klaus or his sister pushed Bonnie's buttons and the indifference faded, a temperamental electric lady shone through.
The common misconception with switching one's humanity off was, it didn't mean your emotions were off, well not all of them, your base urges: lust, euphoria, anger were all still there, it meant you didn't give a damn about the who, what, why or when. Damned all consequences as long as it made you happy. He wondered if he would still find her appealing with her humanity back on. Klaus stopped his train of thought from going there. There was how his sister tried to insinuate that he found the witch 'hot'. This wasn't a lie, but after assessing and reassessing his thought patterns surrounding the Bennett witch, he thought it best not to repeat history by sampling a witch's sweet nectar. If he explored this route with Bonnie, he foresaw nothing but trouble and not the good kind. Well, yes the good kind, but the counter-productive kind as well, where battle lines would be drawn and the focus of New Orleans coup d'état would be wholly lost. Klaus could envision the mayhem already, a fleeting romance, passionate lovemaking and, as always, eventually, unavoidably, the girl would prove her disloyalty, which would lead to her violent demise. The same as everyone else in his life. Klaus would buckle down on his primal urges, no matter how delicious they promised to be, and keep the relationship purely platonic.
The change of the witch's breathing interrupted the Original's internal musings. Klaus looked up in time to see the Bennett witch begin to stir. Speak of the hellish angel and she shall awaken.
Parroting his internal thoughts, Klaus murmured, "You're awake."
As if on command, her green eyes fluttered open. Lithe limbs stretched overhead like a cat in the sun. The comforter inched away from her body, exposing her tawny decolletage. The witch turned to face him where he stood off to the side, against the elaborate chestnut dresser.
She let out a ladylike yawn. "Morning."
"Afternoon."
Her eyes widened. "How long have I been asleep for?"
"Three days," Klaus drawled.
Bonnie nodded in response. Her eyes moved towards the window, looking outside. Sunlight streamed through. The storm that wreaked havoc days ago was merely a forgotten dream.
"I gave you the best guest bedroom."
She scanned the room, deep in thought. Before the hurricane, Klaus and his siblings decorated the entire room and house in an ostentatious, baroque manner. Gorgeous finely detailed etched wood furniture inlaid with gold or silver. Decorative mirrors with gilded edges, paintings galore of scantily clad Europeans in compromising acts, and only the freshest freesias in baccarat vases, although Rebekah had insisted on a few crimson bleeding heart bouquets in Bonnie's bedroom floral arrangements. She claimed the witch would love them. Marcellus could keep the French Quarter manor for now, for when Klaus entered his La Dernier estate three nights ago, carrying the unconscious Bennett witch close to his chest, a wave of calm overcame his person, something he had not felt in centuries.
Her eyebrow arched. "Is that supposed to make up for me risking my life to resurrect your outdated manor?"
"You Americans know nothing of true architectural craftsmanship."
"This has nothing on Palace of Versailles." She paused and her eyes flitted upwards, "Although the ceiling mural is beautiful."
Klaus' chest swelled with pride and could not help but offer a mock bow. "Painted by yours truly."
Fake applause echoed through the air, but her eyes did not hold any mockery, rather a regrettable yet impressed expression.
"You are the one that is owed the applause witch." Bonnie scoffed in response. "And a scolding as well."
"Excuse me?"
"I would like to offer you a reminder," Klaus made steps towards the canopy bed the witch laid on. Her locks of hair tangled into a voluminous mass during her sleep, different from how she usually wore it. The Original fought the urge to run his fingers through and feel the texture. "You are not in Mystic Falls. You are not required…no I forbid you to risk your life like that again."
Green eyes narrowed and a flaring heat emitted from the witch, Klaus felt it even from an arm's length away.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you not the one who asked, no, demanded that I resurrect your damn island home?"
"You are not wrong."
She shook her head, emitting a hard laugh. "What did you think was going to happen? That I would resurrect your manor and then have enough energy to throw a housewarming party? This property is like fifty acres, of course I almost died!"
"And that is what I would like to avoid."
"Then don't ask me to resurrect any more freaking estates, Klaus!"
"I gave you five days to complete the task. Unlike your Mystic Falls friends, I would prefer to keep you alive. You are not a sacrificial lamb." She looked away, but Klaus continued. "Yes, you forgot that part, that I didn't demand you complete your task within twenty-four hours."
She leaned back against her pillows and stared at the mural on the ceiling. As Klaus' patience grew thin with her silence the witch turned to look at him and patted on the space beside her, "tell me about this painting."
It was one of his better pieces. Klaus was in his Champaigne phase during the early 1800s. He told her as much.
"I'm more of a Baudry girl myself."
"Have you been to Chantilly?"
"No. Maybe one day." She turned and stared at him pointedly, "I have other responsibilities."
Klaus received her message loud and clear and offered a pretentious expression. "I paint better than him. You're not missing much."
There it was again, the half-smile. Unpredictable like summer snow.
"Klaus, what exactly is expected of me, during all of this?"
"You are my witch."
Bonnie's eyes widened. "Your witch?"
"I offered you a place amongst my army, therefore you under my protection. Hence, you are my witch."
The witch's small hand played at her throat as her emeralensely stared at his own. "Yes, but what does that mean?"
How did Klaus encapsulate the premise of war without lecturing the poor girl? As he pondered, he felt the slight tinge of heat as the witch's body temperature raised. Curious.
"You take care of the witches and any magical necessities." Bonnie looked at him, eyes expectant. "And that's it," he finalized.
"No more house raising hell?"
"Soldier's promise."
"I'll take that with five grains of salt."
Klaus barked out a laugh, "I expect nothing less." His mind grew serious, and he turned to face the witch fully. "Bonnie, how long have you been harnessing lightning?"
"How did you know?"
"You electrocuted me five times while I carried you from outside the house to this room."
The witch took a few moments to answer, "I thought Killian brought me inside."
"The poor bloke has barely recovered from the shock you gave him when he tried before I arrived."
"So you withstood it?"
"Did I have a choice? Was I to leave you outside to freeze in your undergarments?"
She looked away, a prickly heat emanating furiously from her body. "Thank you."
Klaus heard the faint clicking of heels down the mile-long hallway outside, but the witch's form enamoured him too much to care. Speaking of which, the witch in question turned her attention to the door, as if expecting a visitor. Witches weren't known for acute senses unless they cast a temporary spell. A few moments passed, and the intruder made themselves known.
"Cozy now, aren't we?"
"Rebekah. How nice of you to join us." He straightened up against the chestnut headboard. Bonnie mimicked his action and crossed her legs. A blank expression graced her face once more.
"How nice it is for the witch to grace us with her awakeness." Rebekah turned her gaze to Bonnie and walked towards the bed, sinking down next to the witch. "Your hair is a mess." His sister smoothed down the witch's mahogany tresses, surprisingly the witch didn't object. Klaus's hands fisted at his sides.
"Good afternoon to you too, Rebekah," the witch's response dripped with sarcasm.
"Oh, don't be grumpy," Rebekah playfully swatted at Bonnie's shoulder as if they were bosom buddies, "I have excellent news for both of you, but ladies first." The blonde rubbed her hands together, her sapphire eyes gleamed, "While you were off playing Sleeping Beauty, Olivia stocked your closets."
The news did not have the desired effect. Klaus determined this by observing Rebekah's expression. "And where exactly is Olivia?" The witch inquired.
"I just informed you that your closets were stocked with designer goods and you're worried about the human?"
Bonnie cocked her head to the side and drawled, "Rebekah."
His baby sister threw her hands up. "Goodness, you sound just like Niklaus when you say my name like that." The blonde Mikaelson ignored the witch's scathing glare. "Anyway, she's fine, I promise. She and Killian are shopping for new bed linens. I asked for 25 momme silk and can you believe she purchased 19 momme instead? I'm not sure which backwater swamp she crawled-."
A groan emitted from Klaus' lips while he massaged his temples. "Rebekah."
"See, I told you!" His sister's blue orbs pointedly started at the witch's, "You sound just like him." She got up from the bed and huffed, "As I said, she's fine and no harm will come upon her." Rebekah threw Klaus a dangerous glare as if daring him to counter her.
The witch nodded, seemingly satisfied with the long-winded answer, and ignored the hostile sibling showdown.
Rebekah walked toward the tall chestnut closet doors, which sparkled with gold inlay. Expensive garments, ranging in various hues of jewel tones, hung in her closet on golden hangers. Bonnie got up from her bed to Klaus' dismay and ran towards the closet. Girly squealing ensued. Rather, Rebekah squealed, Bonnie was more subdued, but curious. Klaus observed as the witch held a crimson wisp of a dress against herself whilst examining reflection in a gilded mirror. He rather missed the witch's unexplained body heat and their quiet conversation from a few moments before.
"You should wear that to the gala this weekend."
The witch turned to regard Rebekah, "Gala?"
"Rebekah, this is not social hour. We are in New Orleans for strict business."
"Don't worry Nik, you're invited too." Klaus stared daggers at Rebekah. "Oh right. My good news for you." Rebekah went back to bed. "So I have some intel and I would be glad to share it with you on one condition."
"Condition? Are we not all here for the same mission? Or did we cross wires somewhere?"
"Yes Nik, we are all here on the same damn mission, but I have a stipulation. Is this a dictatorship or a team?"
"Not a team, never a team."
"How could I forget? You are the big bad hybrid king." Rebekah rolled her eyes and then a sickly sweet smile fell upon her face. "I'll tell you the very informative conversation I had with a New Orleans witch if you promise me one little thing."
"What is it?"
"Awaken Elijah."
Klaus chuckled at his sister's delusion. "Bloody not likely."
Her high heels stomped on the hardwood floor, surely leaving a dent. "Nik!"
"Why would I do a fool thing like that?"
"Because we are a family! 'Always and forever'. New Orleans was Elijah's home, too. He deserves to be here when we take it back."
"I planned to awaken him after the deed was done."
"No Klaus, we must do this together. Like a family. The not faux hybrid family you are trying to build, but your actual family."
"Don't forget the witch." Bonnie's gaze was still upon her reflection in the mirror. She twirled around in a pair of ridiculously high crimson heels, which made her legs go on for days.
"And the witch." Rebekah blew Bonnie a kiss. The witch stuck out her tongue in response.
Klaus refocused on the annoying conversation at hand. "My hybrids would die for me."
"Stop being so Shakespearean. We have all sacrificed for each other. We could sit here for days comparing notes."
"I vote for not comparing notes." The witch interjected yet again whilst taking off the heels and stood at her normal pixie height. She tore her eyes away from the mirror and faced Klaus, "Get the information." Her eyes softened. "The more I know about the competition, the better prepared I can be. You don't want me out for three days again, do you?"
"I do not, but there are other private factors to consider."
"Whatever they are, I'm sure my big bad hybrid of New Orleans can handle his familial issues with ease."
"Your hybrid?"
"I accepted and offered you my magical services, therefore my magical services are at your beck and call, within reason. Hence, you are my hybrid."
Blue eyes locked with green, and Klaus felt a heavyweight in his chest. He growled inwardly, suddenly annoyed. He broke his gaze with the witch and looked upon his sister, who already was regarding him with a raised brow and smug look.
Elijah being woken did not coincide with Klaus' original plan, but it was a hurdle. Klaus always bulldozed over his hurdles. His brother was noble peacekeeping fraud. Klaus simply had no patience for Elijah's civility tactics.
His brother also had an affinity with witches, he didn't need his brother coming in to complicate the perplexing situation with the Bennett witch. But the thought of looking weak in Bonnie's eyes after her less than subtle, possessively manipulative claims made his chest pump with fury.
Klaus stood up from the bed and walked towards his sister. He felt the witch's inconspicuous gaze through her peripheral, but he ignored her.
"Rebekah, you have my word that I will awaken Elijah should your information prove useful in obtaining the French Quarter."
An angelic grin spread across his sister's face. It was contagious. Even Klaus felt his earlier annoyance ebb.
"Fabulous. Let me regale you with a tale of the scorned ancestral magic witch of the French Quarter. Sabine Laurent."
A/N: Reviews make me happy :)