I stood in front of the full-length mirror with a sad smile as I ran my eyes up and down my reflection, admiring the soft glow of the pure white gown that clung to my body. Tonight, was the Casket Girl Festival of New Orleans. It seemed like New Orleans had a festival for something every night. This festival was a yearly reminder of how women could be oppressed by selfish men and how they could triumph when adventurous enough to fight for themselves. I was audacious enough to fight for myself, but that bravery cost me. That bravery triggered the werewolf curse. I reached behind me to pull up the zipper on the back of the dress, but it was stuck in place.
"Would you like some help?" A sensual male voice sounded behind, and I gave a small jump as I looked behind me in the mirror to see Elijah standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He had walked in so silently; I didn't hear the sound of his footsteps. He was wearing a pair of medium baby blue jeans with an untucked grey speckled white t-shirt and a smokey unzipped jacket to go over top of it. So different from his usual suit and tie attire. So casual. I relaxed and smiled at his reflection.
"Please." I said and he smiled and slowly strolled over to me and stood behind me. His fingers brushed against mine as I allowed him to take the zipper from me. His knuckles barely brushed against the length of my spine as he pulled up the zipper. "Thanks." One worded answers were all I could manage as my breath hitched in my throat. I cleared my throat and tried to speak again. "Hayley's upset because she can't go to tonight's festivities. Not too many pregnant casket girls, I guess. She would have looked lovely if she went."
"I think you look lovely." My cheeks heated as I looked down at my feet, bashful.
"She's also worried about her birthmark showing."
"Well, I don't suspect any of the riffraff here would dare lay a hand on her knowing that she's under the protection of my family. Still, we shouldn't take any chances."
"My thoughts exactly." I frowned at my reflection. "All dressed up and nowhere to go." Elijah walked around to the front of me and leaned against the mirror as he gazed at me.
"You know… if you wanted to attend the festivities tonight, I'd be more than willing to take you." I looked at him and he smiled at me, his brown eyes warm and soft. I could see it now. The two of us in the streets of New Orleans, enjoying life in the moment and not worrying about this Davina business or the miracle Mikaelson baby. Just the two of us. I looked him over from head to toe and hummed my approval. But I had other priorities and now wasn't the time for this. It wasn't right.
"Mm. Tempting but I should stay here and keep Hayley company." Elijah gave me a reassuring smile.
"Of course." He began to leave the room, but I called him back and he half turned to face me once more.
"Elijah… do you mind?"
"Not at all." He walked back over to me and unzipped my dress. Once again, I closed my eyes at his soft cares, a fluttering sensation traveling up my spine as my lips parted in a silent gasp. I opened my eyes in time to see him grinning at my reflection before he turned to leave and I inhaled deeply, centering myself.
TO
Nighttime fell across the sky as I followed Hayley up the steps to the manor with two of her bodyguards that Klaus ordered to follow her right behind us. This was not how I wanted to spend my night but whatever. I snarled at the two vampires as they crowed Hayley who walked through the front door and turned to them.
"I'm just grabbing some clothes." She told them. "Give me two minutes, please." They walked off to the parlor as Hayley ran up the steps with me behind her.
"What are you doing here, Hayley?" I inquired as I followed her down the hallway past the room that she used to stay in.
"I'm grabbing some clothes." She instead went into Elijah's room and over to an ancient rustic chest tucked away into the far corner.
"Um, pretty sure your clothes aren't in Elijah's room." I leaned against the doorway and crossed my arms over her chest.
"Keep a lookout." I opened my ears and sensed the two vampires down in the parlor. Keeping one ear on them, I focused back on Hayley as she opened the chest and pulled out a couple of Elijah's journals.
"Um, what are you doing with those, Hayley?"
"Sophie told me that if I help her complete the harvest ritual then she'll remove the curse that keeps my family trapped in their wolf forms."
"And you need Elijah's journals why?"
"Because in order to complete the harvest, she needs to draw power from a powerful witch that only Elijah knows where she's buried."
"And how does he know—" I paused as it clicked in my mind like the final piece of a puzzle. "—oh, no. Don't tell me it's—"
"Celeste Dubois."
"No. No. No. No. No. Hayley, Elijah has done so much for you already. Do not do this to him. Do not disturb the grave of the woman he once loved."
"Hayden, I'm doing this for my family."
"Hayley, you know I would do anything for you but, please, I'm begging you, do not make me lie to Elijah and keep this a secret from him. We'll find another way to free your people. Find another way."
"Sophie's bloodline is the one who cursed them. Her bloodline is the only one who can free them. I'm doing this with or without you, Hayden." She quickly took the journals and walked over to the desk and turned on a lamp and began to flip through them. Sighing with regret and guilt, I vamp sped over to her and took the journal from her. Hayley began to protest.
"I'm a faster reader than you and we need to hurry before your precious bodyguards downstairs come looking for us." I quickly began to scan the impeccable writing of Elijah Mikaelson as I quickly read down the pages.
Celeste entrances me. She is perfection. I turned the crisp page. She is dead. Even as the sun rises, I see only night but for the promise I made to her that in death, I would bury her far from the mayhem of witches, vampires, and men. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, regretting, and feeling guilty.
"I'm so sorry, Elijah." I whispered to myself.
TO
I sat in the far corner of the cellar at the compound with my face in my hands as Hayley called Sophie and told her what I found in Elijah's journal. This was not right. Something about this was just not right. It was literally making me sick to my stomach and I was a hybrid. Hybrids don't get sick. But the thought of betraying Elijah's trust like this was like a fist around my heart. It was wrong. My elbows were on my knees and I moved my hands down to my mouth as my eyes were wide with guilt. I was a traitor.
"Oh, Sophie, I told you everything that I found out." Hayley said.
"You said he buried her between two lovely oak saplings." Sophie reiterated. "News flash—that was two hundred years ago. They're all just trees now."
"You want to be the all-powerful witch, keep looking. Say a prayer. Have a little faith. You can do this." Hayley's phone beeped as she hung up and turned to me.
"How many times do I have to remind you that this is the witch that threatened your life and your child's life?" I asked her quietly.
"How many times do I have to remind you that she is the only one who can break my family's curse?" I stood up abruptly and looked at Hayley, dropping my hands to my sides.
"Excuse me if I'm reluctant to believe a word out of Sophie Deveraux's mouth. The last thing that Celeste asked of Elijah was that her body was kept in peace, away from mayhem. Digging up her bones is not peaceful, Hayley. This is wrong." I began to leave the cellar, but Hayley stopped me.
"Wrong because you've suddenly developed respect for the dead or wrong because you're starting to develop feelings for Elijah and you now feel like you've betrayed him in some way." I froze on the steps as her words rang through me. I half turned to look over my shoulder at Hayley.
"What difference does it make? Either way, it's still wrong." I left before Hayley could respond.
TO
I found Elijah in the study with charcoal sketches scattered around him. I slowly and reluctantly walked in and he looked at me and smiled which only made my heart wrench.
"You ok?" I asked him quietly.
"I'm better now." He answered, his smile growing. "How was your day?"
"Killer." Elijah sucked on his bottom lip as he looked back at the artwork in front of him, setting them down as if they were puzzle pieces. "What's with the artwork?"
"Davina's sketches. I wonder if they represent some kind of premonition. They seem to suggest something is coming… something sinister." He managed the artwork to form a face and as he stood up and examined the finish piece from above, my jaw dropped into a silent gasp. All the sketches that Davina's been drawing for the past several months formed a giant piece of Celeste, Elijah's former lover. The lover that I just sent Sophie to dig up her remains.
