"You're trying to get rid of me are you?" Klaus asked. He tried to pass it off as teasing, but Hope could see the hurt brewing in his eyes.
"No, I'm trying to save packless wolves from ending up in a situation like Raf almost found himself in. And some of them are young enough to go to the Salvatore school, so it would be a good idea to have Caroline go with you." Hope closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. "I killed innocent people because Triad told me to. So I owe it to the people who are dead because of me to save others now that I'm free. I'd do it myself, but-"
"But Nyssa needs you here."
Hope nodded. "So, I'm asking someone I trust, who understands what it means to be a packless wolf, to do it for me."
Klaus hugged Hope tightly and kissed the top of her head.
"I don't want you to leave. I just need to make sure these lost wolves are safe. If we can give at least some of them a better future, it would mean the people I killed for Triad died for something, instead of just me following orders."
"I know." Stepping back, he said, "I'm so proud of you, my littlest wolf."
"Caroline will be here first thing in the morning to pick up the location of the wolves. And while you're gone, Aunt Freya, Uncle Kol, and I will be finding a way to save Ryan from Malivore while we destroy the mud pit for good."
"If you could, do me a favor?"
"Absolutely."
"When you do finally destroy Malivore suffer for taking you away from me?"
"I can't promise how much he'll suffer, but I can promise that he's not long for this world."
"I can live with that."
Hope kissed his cheek.
"Where's my granddaughter? I think I ought to spend some time with her before I head out on the road."
"Mom came in from the bayou this morning. She wanted to spend some time with her since we've been so busy here we haven't been able to get out there yet."
"I suppose your mother and I can share her for a bit until I leave at least."
"Or you could pack and then steal her for a while," Hope suggested with a smile. "I don't think Caroline would appreciate having to wait because you weren't ready to leave right when she was ready. So you can spend the last few hours before you go spending time with Nyssa, then get on the road right away if that's what Caroline has planned."
"She always was one who expected her schedule to be kept to," Klaus acknowledged with a smile.
Once Klaus was on his way to his bedroom, Hope headed to the nursery.
A few moments later, she stood in the doorway, watching her mother rock her daughter. She wasn't sure if Hayley was aware that she was there and she didn't want to disturb the peaceful scene.
Nyssa was watching Hayley with sleepy eyes, stubbornly fighting to stay awake.
"I didn't get to do this for you mother, you know. I didn't get to do a lot of things for her, but I think this was the part I missed the most, not being able to just sit and rock her because I had to pretend she was dead for the first few months of her life. Her life was hard before she was even born."
"But you were the best mother you could possibly be," Hope said, finally revealing her presence. "It was memories of you, of the love you had for me, that kept me sane."
Hayley smiled at Hope, then shifted Nyssa in her arms as she asked, "Do you want to take her?"
"Later. Let her have time with her grandmother. I just wanted to check on her."
"You're getting ready to save her father from his creator, aren't you?"
"Yes. And Dad is packing to leave with Caroline to find the lost wolves and see if they can help them. He should be here in a few minutes to hold her before he leaves."
"So I'll have a few more minutes with her before he gets in here. Once he does, I think I'll head back to the bayou." Hayley shifted into a more comfortable position and patted Nyssa's back when she started to whimper.
Nyssa's tiny fists came up to her face for a moment, rubbing her eyes, then she went quiet once more.
"How did things go with Raf?"
"He's excited about coming back for the summer. He's made a few friends already and he fits in very well."
"Good."
"And Vincent said something about getting a request to help with a witch addicted to dark magic?" Hayley raised an eyebrow.
"Landon asked me for help with his girlfriend and I knew I couldn't leave New Orleans for a while, and Vincent is the only one with experience in that regard. I would have warned him, but I went into labor before I could."
"That's what he figured happened when he got the call."
"So, he's not upset with me?" Hope winced.
"No. He understood that things slipped your mind after Nyssa was born."
"I'll have to thank him next time I see him."
With a smile over her shoulder, Hope made her way to her aunt's office.
When she entered the room, Freya, Kol, and Ryan were already in there, setting things up.
"You found a spell to save him?" Hope asked.
"To save him and destroy Malivore for good all in one."
"What about the monsters Malivore consumed?"
"That's the trick. We'll be essentially turning Ryan into Malivore, without the need to consume everyone in sight and without turning him into the pit itself."
"He and the pit will be separate?"
"Yes. We'll have to create a physical manifestation of the pit to make that work, but he'll be the one to control it entirely."
"What about Malivore? What will happen to him?"
"Once we give Ryan control of the pit, we will erase Malivore from existence."
"He won't be possessed by Malivore, will he?" Hope asked, worried.
She loved Ryan and couldn't bear it if he was destroyed to try to contain the monster that had created him. She wanted her daughter to have her father, not a being possessed by the monster who would do anything to live forever and create a lineage without caring about his family.
"No. The entity known as Malivore will be no more," Freya assured her.
"You'll need my blood to bind the spell, won't you?" Hope asked.
"Yes. We'll rework the spell a little when you activate your vampire side, rebind it, make it stronger. But it will work. Malivore is a golem and when you break down the original spell, it's possible to undo what the witch who altered it did and created Malivore, provided we have someone like Ryan to take his place."
Ryan walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I love you," Hope mumbled against his chest.
"I love you too."
"Please, tell me it will be okay," Hope pleaded.
"This will work."
"Don't let yourself be erased, please. I couldn't bear it."
"I won't let that happen. I won't allow my father to do to our child what he did to me." He kissed her temple and pressed his cheek against her hair.
"We'll be doing the spell on the next full moon," Freya informed them. "Malivore will no longer haunt you and we'll be able to find a way to integrate those who are not monsters in the truest sense of the word back into the world."
"We'll get through this. Together." Ryan cupped Hope's cheek, then kissed her softly.
Hope nodded, even as fear thrummed through her veins. She wanted to believe him, so desperately, but the last time she'd gone up against Malivore, she'd been erased from memory. Not only that, but Malivore had the power to take Ryan from her forever.
"You're not doing this alone, Hope. You've got us," Kol assured her. "And there's no one in existence who knows more about witch magic than I do."
Ryan pulled Hope against him once more as he said, "And I know more about the magic outside that than anyone else, including Malivore."
"Which I'm hoping you'll write down eventually?" Freya raised an eyebrow at them.
"As soon as we take Malivore down, I'll start, so you know what to expect from those we release into the world, and why others can't be freed."
"That sounds good."
Ryan pressed his cheek against Hope's hair and inhaled deeply.
Nyssa's fussing caught Hope's attention and she stepped back.
"I think she's hungry," Hope said. "It's been a few hours since I fed her."
Ryan kissed Hope lightly and said, "Go, take care of her. We'll get things worked out while you're gone."
Hope brought his hand to her lips, and then she left the room.
A few minutes later, Hope entered the nursery, then took the whimpering Nyssa from her father and he vacated the rocking chair.
"I think she's hungry."
"I figured, since it was about that time for her to want to eat."
"Here you go, there's your mother. She'll take care of you." Klaus murmured to Nyssa. His expression turned teasing and he said, "I hate to say it, Hope, but she looks less and less like you every day."
"I don't mind." Hope brushed the wispy hairs off her forehead.
"Except her eyes. They might be his color, but their shape is all yours."
"The devil in you lives on through her." Hope's lips pulled up at the corners, but her focus remained on her baby.
"I'll be back when she's eaten. I'd hate for her to set my hair on fire because she's hungry." Klaus grinned and then left Hope to tend to the baby.
When her father left the room, Hope undid her shirt so she could feed Nyssa. As she cradled the baby against her breast, Nyssa gripped one of Hope's curls in her tiny fists and watched her, with dark eyes so wise for how little she was.
Hope examined the side of Nyssa's face and Klaus was right, even at this stage, Ryan's jawline and the shape of his brows were showing through. Though her brows wouldn't be quite so pronounced and her hair color appeared to be closer to Hope's than Ryan's.
Finally, Nyssa was full and Hope fixed her clothes.
After placing a cloth on her shoulder, Hope shifted Nyssa so that her head was resting on the cloth, and the started patting her back.
Someone knocked lightly on the door and Hope looked up to see Ryan leaning against the frame, a soft smile on his face.
"Is everything alright?"
"We've got everything ready. We're just waiting on the moon cycle."
Ryan approached them slowly, his gaze on Nyssa's sleeping face. Reaching up, he traced his fingertips along the side of her cheek.
"I told you she looked like you," Hope murmured.
"I thought I wanted her to look like you, but seeing myself in her face," he swallowed thickly and smiled. "I've passed some of my features on to another person and no matter what happens to me in my life, I'll live on through her."
"Don't talk like you think you're going to die," Hope pleaded.
"I don't think that. I trust Freya. I'm just more at peace with the thought, because if something goes wrong and I do die, I'll be leaving a part of myself with you."
"Still, don't talk about dying. You can't do that to us. Nyssa needs her father."
"I'm not planning on dying, sweetheart. I'm just more at peace with the idea, even though I want nothing more than to live, because my life has truly only just started." Ryan kissed Hope's lips softly.
Nyssa shifted in Hope's arms, displeased at having her slumber disturbed.
"Will Klaus come back in here ?"
"I think so, yeah. He wanted to spend some time with her before he went on his road trip."
No sooner had the words left her mouth that Klaus knocked on the door frame again.
"Is she asleep?" Klaus asked softly.
"She is."
"May I?" Klaus held out his arms.
Hope carefully handed Nyssa over to Klaus and he cradled the baby in his arms.
Once Klaus was in the rocking chair, Ryan linked his fingers through Hope's, leading her from the room. Hope followed him, curious.
"What?"
"Do you have to ask?"
Ryan kissed her softly, guiding her backwards towards the bed.
"I've missed this," Hope moaned as he kissed her neck.
"Me too."
Ryan pulled her shirt over her head, then she helped him strip his own shirt off. The feel of his bare skin beneath her palms had her arching towards him, the fire in her veins pooling low in her belly.
He kissed her soft and slow then, an indication of how he wanted this to go, and she was perfectly alright with that. It had been so long since they'd been able to be together and she ached for him.
Hope smiled against his lips and dug her fingers into his hair, pulling him back up so that his face was even with her. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and tugged lightly, then situated them so that Hope's head was on her pillow.
"You might want to leave my bra on," Hope caught his hand when he reached around to unhook it.
"Why?" Ryan's brows furrowed in confusion.
"I'm wearing this kind of bra for a reason, and that reason is right down the hall."
"Right." Ryan leaned over and pressed a kiss between her breasts. "I love you."
Hope dug her fingers into his hair and brought him back up so she could kiss his lips. Hooking her leg over his hips, she flipped them over, so that she was straddling him. He looked up at her, a grin on his too beautiful mouth and she pinned his hands to the bed.
Leaning over, she pressed opened mouth kisses to his throat as she twisted his nipples with her fingers, and she smiled when she felt his groan against her lips.
"Hope," he moaned, his head falling back against the pillow and his lips parted.
"Keep your hands where they are," she whispered as she kissed her way down his chest. "It's my turn."
"Damn, sweetheart."
She made her way slowly down his body, exploring his torso with her lips and tongue. His stomach muscles quivered and he gripped the pillows to keep from disobeying Hope's command, causing her to smile against his skin.
When she finally reached his waist, she undid his belt and jeans, and kissed his pubic bone. She then pressed soft kisses along the top of his open pants from one hipbone to the other. As she lifted her head, she exhaled against his skin, drawing the softest sigh from his lips.
Pulling Ryan's pants down his legs, Hope threw them off the side of the bed, leaving him naked. Hope bit her lower lip and met his pleading gaze.
"Please," he breathed out.
Hope grinned and kissed one of his inner thighs, then the other as she raked her nails lightly down his legs. Slowly, she kissed a trail up his thigh so she was so close to where he needed her attention the most, but she avoided it, grinning when he whimpered in disappointment. Then, she wrapped her hand around his erection and gripped it lightly, before running her palm up and down it once.
Her ministrations caused him to buck beneath her and he dug his fingers so tightly into the pillow that Hope thought he might actually tear it.
"Hope."
His back bowed when she pressed a kiss to the tip of his shaft.
"Please, please, please. Need you, sweetheart."
Hope unbuttoned her own jeans and then shucked them quickly. Once she was almost as naked as he was, aside from the very necessary bra, Hope straddled his thighs.
"Hope," he breathed, staring at her with wonder in his eyes.
"I love you," she whispered.
Rising up on her knees, she took him fully inside her, drawing a strangled cry from him.
"Ride me, Hope."
With a grin, she rocked against him, slowly, deliberately, savoring the feel of him inside her. Ryan attempted to speed her up, but bucking against her, but Hope was stronger and forced him to accept the pace she wanted.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he grabbed her hips, lifting her up and slamming her down.
Hope threw back her head, moaning, and he grinned as she gave in to his demands.
"Yes," he hissed, then any words trailed off into a groan as Hope rode him as hard and as fast as she dared.
"You asked for it," Hope growled.
He couldn't reply, only wordless moans falling from his lips. His back arched and then he lost the rhythm as he thrust up erratically. Knowing he was close, Hope finally let herself climax, hoping that her own orgasm would be enough to bring him over the edge.
Fire raced through her and she slumped against his chest. She was vaguely aware of Ryan thrusting up into her once more and then he spilled inside her.
"I love you," Ryam murmured, running his hand down her back. "With all my body, heart, and whatever soul I may or may not have."
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid to take down Malivore?" Hope pleaded.
"I promise."
"No matter what, we can find a way to take him down that doesn't involve harming you."
"I know, sweetheart. I promise. I've read Freya's spell myself and while I might not have the knowledge of witch magic that Kol does, I know more than most, and I know that the spell will work."
Hope nodded and shifted so that she was lying tucked against his side.
"I've got more to live for than I ever had before." Ryan kissed the top of her head. "So I will do everything in my power to live."
A commotion downstairs pulled them from their cocoon and they reluctantly climbed out of bed.
"Might want to at least rinse off," Ryan suggested.
They cleaned up quickly, then hurried down the stairs to see what was going on.
A pretty blonde that Hope remembered seeing in the Triad files was talking to Rebekah. This had to be Caroline.
Hope took the moment to watch her for a moment. The animated body language and smile made Hope more certain than ever that sending her dad and Caroline on this road trip was the best thing she could do for the both of them.
"I'm pretty sure my dad is saying goodbye to my daughter," Hope said, drawing attention to herself.
"You must be Hope," Caroline remarked, looking her over.
"I am. And you're Caroline."
"That's right. You're the one who helped out with a problem we'd been having."
"Yes." Hope didn't bother asking her elaborate because she had the feeling that Josie didn't want it spread around that she had been struggling.
"Thank you," Caroline said sincerely. "It didn't go down easily at first, but eventually things smoothed over and worked out."
"I'm glad. I would have asked, but I didn't think it was my place."
"We've got a room set up for you to spend the night so you can get a fresh start in the morning," Rebekah informed the other blonde.
"That sounds good. Thank you. I could use a shower."
The next full moon found Hope, Freya, Kol, and Ryan in the bayou just outside werewolf territory.
Freya used Ryan's blood, then Hope's drew Malivore to the surface, the tar pit that had erased Hope from memory bubbling up from the ground. Hope wrapped her hands around Ryan's arm as she stared at the black pool. This was what could destroy Ryan if he chose.
Before Hope could get too lost in her fear, Freya called her over.
"Are you ready?" Freya asked.
"Let's do this."
Malivore wouldn't get the chance to harm Ryan ever again, or to know that the son he'd considered a failure and thrown away had fathered a child.
The first thing Freya did was bind Ryan's life force to Hope's, much like a vampire and their sire line.
"Malivore no longer controls your life," Freya said when the spell was complete. "Now comes the hard part."
Linking their hands together, they did the spell that transferred control of the pit to Ryan while separating Malivore from the pit itself.
Then, came the last phase of the spell. Using Hope's and Kol's blood, Freya created a golem that looked like Hope imagined Malivore looked like in his true form, and sent that golem into the part of the pit that remained Malivore.
With a brilliant glow of his final desperate act of trying to cling to life and throw the being out, Malivore was no more.
As soon as the spell was complete, Ryan went to his knees, blood streaming from his nose and Hope ran to his side.
"Ryan?" Hope ran her fingers through his hair as she knelt beside him.
"I'm alright. Just tired." Ryan tucked his head against Hope's neck, breathing her in.
Freya placed her hand on Ryan's chest, and closed her eyes, then said, "He's alright. Just tired because of the drain that controlling the pit is putting on his body. It will take a bit for him to adjust."
"And once I have, I'll sort through those who can be let out and those who should be destroyed."
"We're going to need to set up a boundary spell to keep people from accidentally falling in," Hope commented as she stood up.
Lifting her hand, she placed a boundary spell that only she and Ryan could cross until such a time as she lowered it.
"It'll stay up until you're ready to work." Hope held her hand out and Ryan took it.
Together, Hope and Kol helped Ryan to the SUV and they were on their way home.
