Bonnie could not believe that she was about to walk into the wolf's den alone. Tyler and Damon certainly were not happy with her decision. Both men had voiced their vehement objections to Bonnie's loosely outlined plan. Damon had even suggested gathering the rest of the Scooby Doo Gang to devise a plan that was less likely to get her killed. Unfortunately, stubbornness was a hereditary trait for Bennett witches. Elodie had no intention of waiting for Lucy to find a way to escape her gilded cage. She had proposed storming the mansion with the members of her coven. Bonnie rejected the plan because it would surely end in needless bloodshed.
In any other circumstance, Tyler or Damon would have accompanied Bonnie into the Mikaelson Mansion. She would have welcomed the assistance because the massive house was a ghost town. However, Klaus marking Lucy as his mate threw everything out of whack. It stood to reason that the newly mated couple would be in the throes of a heat for days to come. To make matters worse, Ruby had explained that both parties would be more volatile following the full moon. It could take a couple days for the lunar phase effect to completely dissipate. Therefore, Klaus would surely rip any threat to shreds on pure instinct. Unfortunately, the definition of a threat was skewed during a mating cycle. Klaus would feel the need to protect Lucy from any unrelated male that could be considered competition.
Cary and his pack were guarding the Mikaelson Mansion from outside when she arrived. Elijah had wisely barred anyone from entering the house as a matter of safety. Initially, Cary seemed adamant about following the original vampire's decree. Bonnie could have easily disabled the pack of wolves with magic but she did not want to open with such an aggressive move. Instead, she decided to reason with Cary by explaining the direness of the situation. Bonnie was the best person to approach the pair. She was a newly mated female that was already pregnant. Therefore, neither party should view her as a physical threat or romantic competition. She was also related to both hybrids—although the connection to Klaus was quite distant.
Cary had relented after learning that Elodie and her coven were waiting in the wings if Bonnie failed. He did not want a situation where he would have to fight against his own blood. They were all descendants of Ansel and the North East Atlantic Pack. Cary briefly considered calling Elijah but ultimately decided that this was a matter better handled by wolves. Bonnie was grateful when he agreed to allow her into the mansion. However, he also detected her nervousness. Bonnie was worried that Klaus would attack because they were only distantly related. However, Cary assured her that the original hybrid had felt an almost immediate connection to his pack. Klaus would be even more sensitive to the familial connection in his current state.
Bonnie cautiously walked into the darkened house. All of the curtains were drawn and she could not immediately detect any sound. The silence made her feel even more uneasy. She had hastily filled one of Damon's empty bourbon bottles with an immobilization potion. It was a much larger dose than she had used on Katherine just a few days ago. However, she had no idea if it would work on an original vampire. She also could not account for the effect the potion might have on a hybrid. She would have to convince Tyler to be her guinea pig in the near future. He was not as durable as Klaus was but the similar physiology would be illuminating.
She methodically searched the first floor and found it to be empty. Bonnie huffed in annoyance. She was not looking forward to searching the massive house room by room. Tyler and Damon would no doubt start to get antsy if she stayed in the house for too long. She could not risk either man entering the house and possibly becoming a chew toy for Klaus. Bonnie walked up the stairs and then came to a stop. She closed her eyes and decided to use her other senses to locate Lucy. Before she could find her cousin, she smelled a wolf approaching her position. Bonnie sniffed the air urgently in an attempt to find out if the wolf approaching her was Klaus or Lucy. She immediately noticed the lack of magic emanating from the animal that slowly entered the corridor.
"Klaus," Bonnie said with certainty.
The black and gray wolf studied Bonnie carefully but he did not seem aggressive. He slowly approached the girl until he stood in front of her. He sniffed at the hand holding the immobilization potion. He gave a snort that almost sounded like laughter. Then his eyes shifted to Bonnie's abdomen as if something else had caught his attention. He sniffed at her stomach for several minutes before sitting on his hindquarters. A long pink tongue emerged from the creature's massive head and he began to lick Bonnie's hand.
She could not stop the giggle that burbled out of her. It was a strange sensation feeling the wolf's rough tongue on her skin. A potent feeling of happiness washed over Bonnie unexpectedly. She reached out and scratched behind Klaus' ear without conscious thought. Bonnie relaxed somewhat when it appeared that Klaus wasn't going to make a meal of her.
Klaus stopped licking Bonnie's hand and looked up at her with what could only be classified as a smug smile.
She pointed at him and said, "I will desiccate you again if you ever tell someone that just happened."
The wolf bumped Bonnie with his head and then looked at her expectantly.
"Stefan and Caroline have identified six possible travelers trapped in town. I really need to speak to Lucy about this. Would that be okay?" she asked tentatively.
The large wolf stared at Bonnie for a moment before giving a sharp bark. He stood once more and trotted down the hall to a bedroom. He used his head to push the door open enough for Bonnie to walk into the room.
She spotted Lucy curled up in the bed. Bonnie could also smell the lingering traces of the older woman's pheromones. She breathed a sigh of relief because she had arrived after the pair had finished mating. Bonnie just tried to avoid thinking about what that almost certainly entailed. Instead, she gently shook her cousin's shoulder. "Lucy…"
Lucy's brown eyes opened slowly. She expected to see Klaus but was shocked to find Bonnie standing beside the bed. She grasped the black sheet to make sure her nudity was hidden from view. There was no need to make this moment more awkward than it already was. She slowly sat up in bed and asked, "What are you doing here, Bonnie?"
Bonnie said, "I am really sorry for interrupting but we have a problem. Actually, we have a couple problems and I could really use your help."
Lucy's heart began to beat faster at the mention of a problem. Her mind instantly went to her daughter. She asked, "Is Mari okay?"
The younger girl's head whipped around when she heard Klaus' bones breaking and rearranging under his taut skin. She could scarcely believe how quickly he could shift.
Klaus grabbed onto the footboard of the four poster bed to remain upright. The hex had left him at half his normal strength and off balance. In fact, the only time he shifted into his humanoid form was when he needed to mate with Lucy. He demanded, "Where is my daughter?"
Bonnie gave an adorable squeak and clapped a hand over her eyes. She wondered if there was a spell to erase unwanted memories because this was one she could live without. "Mari is perfectly safe! She is a safe distance from Mystic Falls for now."
"Why aren't you with her? You are supposed to be keeping her safe!" Klaus snapped.
He had settled on a reluctant peace with Lucy's decision to send Mari way. Klaus knew that it would take time to convince her to change course. However, he was positive that it could be achieved if only he had time alone with her. Lucy loved him still and her resolve weakened the longer they were together.
The young witch bristled at his tone of voice. She did not appreciate the implication that she was somehow neglecting her duties. Bonnie removed her hand from her eyes to give Klaus a piece of her mind and immediately regretted it.
Klaus smiled smugly as he moved to sit at the bottom of the bed. He refused to reveal how much the hex had weakened him.
Lucy threw a pillow at the hybrid and said, "Nik…"
Bonnie turned around so that she was facing Lucy again. She did not like the idea of turning her back on Klaus. However, she was willing to take the risk if it meant not seeing his junk again. "Mari is safe, Lucy. I left her with Stefan and a Bennett witch. I had to talk to you and it couldn't wait."
Klaus relaxed marginally. Stefan was one of the few people he trusted outside of his own family. He could put their petty squabbles aside and admit the younger vampire was fierce in the face of threats. Stefan did not need to be on a blood fueled bender to exude that ripper spirit. Mari would be safe with the younger Salvatore brother.
Lucy relaxed after hearing that Mari was safe. She said, "Sit down and tell me what is wrong, Bonnie."
Bonnie glanced at the bed and wrinkled her nose. She opted to sit on the nightstand beside the bed. She said, "The ward that we placed around Mystic Falls is working like a charm. Travelers can't cross the border. Today Sheriff Forbes realized that two of her deputies were missing. Stefan and Caroline started checking on other important residents. Four other people are unaccounted for: the fire chief, the emergency management director, the principal of MFHS, and the deputy mayor. They also have something else in common. The missing city officials are new members of the Founder's Council. The council recently recruited new members after so many others have…died."
The older woman was concerned about the travelers' choice of vessels. They had chosen individuals that would be instrumental in keeping the city safe if an emergency arose. Lucy could not begin to imagine what the travelers had planned for Mystic Falls. She only hoped that the wards protecting the town had delayed their plans. However, the travelers were resourceful and would find new ways to accomplish their goals.
"Bloody hell," Klaus uttered.
Bonnie already knew that this was bad news but Klaus and Lucy's reactions were worrisome. She said, "We have also have another…"
"Problem?" Lucy asked.
"I don't know if problem is the word I would use to describe what is happening. It is on a more personal front." She decided to just rip off the band-aid. "We have an aunt that faked her death like eighty years ago and became a vampire."
Lucy's jaw dropped as she stared at Bonnie in disbelief. "Run that by me again?"
She said, "Amelia had a sister that died extremely young. Her name is Elodie. She and Damon are...something. Don't even ask me to explain what it is because I might be physically ill. Anyway, she is back and not big on patience. She was ready to come here to rescue you."
Lucy instinctively grew more tense at the mere mention of Elodie. Of course she did not have any personal connection to the woman they believed died years ago. However, her mind instantly went to the coven that had hunted Elodie in the years leading up to her premature death. A different sect of that same coven had targeted Lucy several years ago. She was running from the malicious hags when Klaus found her committing petty theft to survive.
Klaus gave an indignant huff. "A witch without magic planned to storm my home?"
Bonnie bit her lip because she wasn't going to tell Klaus about their aunt's unique 'nature'. He would either want to employ her because she could be useful or kill her because she was a threat. Elodie had already crossed paths with Rebekah. Fortunately, the original vampire had no idea who had interrupted the kidnapping attempt on Damon.
She said, "More Bennett witches have started arriving. Aunt Elodie would not have been alone on her rescue mission. Trust me, she isn't the only one that wants to burn this place to the ground. They think the dastardly hybrid has kidnapped one of our own."
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me dead as well, little witch?"
She said, "No, I know that Lucy isn't exactly a helpless prisoner here. However, I assumed that she would not want everyone else to know the particulars of her situation. Aunt Elodie is the only one that knows about the bite mark, but I did not tell her about Mari's paternity."
Lucy finally found her voice. She said, "Thank you, Bonnie. I know it isn't fair of me to put you in this position."
Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, I don't feel bad for keeping secrets from Aunt Elodie. She kept a pretty big one from all of us."
She snorted, "You can say that again. Please, say that you brought a change clothes. The outfit I was wearing the other day was ruined."
The younger girl nodded and pulled a blue and white striped bag from her shoulder. She placed the bag on Lucy's lap. "I stopped by the house first. I thought you might need a few things. You obviously have to do something about your hair."
Lucy huffed out an indignant laugh. She ran a tentative hand through her tangled tresses because Bonnie was right. "The dangers of sleeping without a scarf…"
Bonnie snickered. "Yeah because sleeping is the only reason your hair looks like a cat sucked on it."
Klaus' stormy eyes narrowed dangerously. He did not find the cousins' banter to be amusing. He could not believe that Lucy would even consider leaving his side at a time like this. Klaus struggled against his wolf side's instincts. He growled, "You can't think that I will let you leave in the middle of a heat."
Bonnie tightened her grip on the immobilization potion. She had a feeling that this pleasant conversation was about to take a turn for the worse. Bonnie had hoped that the hybrid would be reasonable about all this. Everyone had the same goal of stopping the travelers from lowering the veil. Nothing good could come from allowing all those long dead souls to rejoin their world. However, she understood that there was more than logic factoring into this situation.
Lucy reached for the magic that was no longer dampened. She did not want to lash out at Klaus but she would. Lucy scowled at him and asked, "Let me? Have I suddenly become your prisoner again, Nik? Or were you lying about me being free to leave whenever I want?"
Klaus' jaw clenched in frustration. He needed more time alone with Lucy if he planned to convince her to move to New Orleans with him. However, making her feel like a prisoner would destroy any goodwill he had earned from her. Lucy was almost as stubborn as he was. She would fight him tooth and nail if he tried to control her. He decided to take a more diplomatic approach.
"I understand why you would be eager to leave, love. The travelers are a thorn in all our sides. I am also sure that you are ready to see Mari again. You have been away from our daughter for much too long," he replied.
Lucy eyed him suspiciously. Klaus was behaving too calm for her liking. He was obviously up to something. "I am hearing a but…"
"But you understand how the mating cycle works. Your heat could reemerge at any moment. I do not need to explain why it is inadvisable for you to be away from me. Elijah and Rebekah are certainly capable of assisting with this traveler business while we are indisposed," he declared in a reasonable tone.
The older witch chewed on her bottom lip because of course Klaus was right. She was in the pink of health now, but just a few hours ago she was consumed with the need to copulate with her mate. Lucy would be putting herself and everyone else in danger if she became incapacitated while dealing with the travelers. She doubted that Markos would have trusted underlings with this part of the plan. He most likely assigned his most experienced travelers to Mystic Falls. Lucy had no doubt that the travelers were working on a way to break or disrupt the ward protecting the town.
She conceded, "I hate to say this but Klaus is right, Bonnie. I would be a liability to everyone. I am stuck here until the mating cycle ends. I have no idea how long that will be."
Bonnie declared, "Well, that's not exactly true."
"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.
Klaus couldn't stop himself from growling at the annoying little witch. He had almost convinced Lucy to stay with him for a little longer.
She glanced in the hybrid's direction but did not allow herself to be deterred. Bonnie needed Lucy's help. She said, "Aunt Elodie has a solution for you mating cycle problem. She is whipping up something that should end the mating cycle early for the two of you. It should take her a couple of hours to finish it."
Lucy perked up with that information. She said, "That is great news!"
Klaus snapped, "Leave us!"
Lucy squeezed Bonnie's knee encouragingly. "You can wait for me downstairs."
Apprehension tinted the girl's green eyes as she looked between the silently warring couple. Bonnie decided that Lucy had a better chance of escaping Klaus' wrath unscathed than she did. She stood up and subtly set the immobilization potion on the nightstand. "Okay…"
Klaus snorted because he had caught the witch's movements out the corner of his eye. He spoke with a sarcastic lilt to his voice, "You used too much peppermint oil in your potion, witchling. You need a proper teacher."
Bonnie frowned at the hybrid's criticism of her potion. She huffed, "I'll have you know that I followed my great-grandmother's recipe to the letter. Aunt Elodie assured me that it was perfect."
Lucy said, "Don't listen to him, Bonnie. Our family uses more peppermint oil than most because of the heavy dose of aconite contained in the potion. It hides the poisonous aroma from vampires and werewolves."
"Aconite?" Klaus mused aloud.
He had not detected the aconite when he sniffed the bottle earlier. Moreover, the poisonous plant was not a traditional component in any immobilization potions that he had encountered in his long life. He wondered what purpose aconite played in the recipe. Potion making was much like baking. Every ingredient served a specific purpose.
Lucy only smirked in response. She had not revealed all her tricks while working for him.
Bonnie looked between the two of them again. "Yep, I am just going to go downstairs and pretend I can't hear everything you guys are saying up here."
"Good call," Lucy quipped with a small smirk.
Bonnie left the room and closed the door behind her. She had no clue what was happening between Klaus and her cousin. He had kidnapped her but they had obviously come to some understanding since then. Bonnie only hoped that it would be enough to convince Klaus to let Lucy leave. She was not looking forward to facing the travelers without her cousin's help. Elodie and her coven were powerful, but Bonnie still had some reservations about trusting them. She would readily admit not knowing Lucy very well. However, Lucy had proven herself to be an ally from the moment they met at the Lockwood Mansion.
As she walked down the stairs, her phone started buzzing. Bonnie was not surprised to find that she had a text message from Damon. The vampire was not known for his patience. However, she was sure that Tyler was just as anxious for an update. Sending her into the mansion had been dangerous but necessary.
She stuffed the phone back into her pocket and decided to go outside. It was better to give Lucy and Klaus privacy. There were some things that she did not want to know about her cousin.
Damon was leaning against the hood of his car. He idly watched as Tyler chatted up Cary. He rolled his eyes skyward. He could not believe that he was surrounded by so many dogs. How had this become his life? Damon looked towards the mansion when he heard the door open. His lips twitched into an involuntary smile when he saw Bonnie walking towards him. He snarked, "You're alive."
She nodded. "Well, Klaus probably doesn't want to kill me while he is trying to get on Lucy's good side."
Tyler joined Damon and Bonnie at the car. He immediately tensed when he detected Klaus' scent on her. He asked, "Did he touch you?"
Bonnie looked down at her hand and said, "Not in any bad way."
He glared, "Klaus touching you at all is bad news."
Damon lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What the hell happened in there?"
She lowered her voice. "He licked me."
The vampire's eyes widened comically. "Come again?"
Bonnie spluttered, "He was a wolf at the time!"
Tyler relaxed somewhat but he still was not happy. He explained, "It is a wolf thing. Cary was right that on some level Klaus must view Bonnie a member of his pack."
Damon snorted. "Well, that's great news."
"Anyway, Lucy isn't really a prisoner. She is more like a reluctant guest. It is sort of hard to explain. They are discussing her leaving now. Have either of you heard from Matt?"
Matt, Nadia, Caroline, and a couple members of Elodie's coven were out searching for the travelers. The search was taking longer than necessary because they decided to work as a group. The goal was to apprehend at least one traveler for interrogation. However, Bonnie had given the traveler knife to Matt as a precaution. If capturing one of the traveler's was impossible, then it was better to kill him or her. She hoped that the human vessels would not meet the same fate. The knife would increase the chances of the human vessel's survival.
Tyler nodded and said, "Yeah. They checked all the vessels' houses first. They didn't find any trace of the travelers. They must have done their planning away from the houses."
Bonnie suggested, "Or maybe they haven't been passengers for very long…"
Damon chuckled. "We are never that lucky."
Tyler had to agree with the vampire. Situations like these rarely broke in their favor. "Caroline is going to ask her mom for the keys to the Founders Council's vault. She is hoping that maybe the travelers have been meeting there. There has to be a reason they chose vessels on the council."
Bonnie frowned and said, "They can't go there without us."
Tyler asked, "Why not?"
Damon huffed and said, "Because Matt and Caroline are going to need back up. A witch spelled the vault so that only humans and members of the founding families can enter it. It is the reason I was able to enter the vault without drawing suspicion."
"What about werewolves?" Tyler asked.
Damon shrugged. "The Lockwoods had a hand in building the vault. I would assume that they wouldn't build something their ancestors couldn't access."
He frowned. "There were a couple generations that didn't know we were werewolves because no one triggered the curse."
"Nah. The vault was spelled around the time that I was turned. Georgie Porgie was front and center. He knew what he was. The manipulative little bastard was very...forward thinking," the vampire explained.
Tyler said, "Maybe I should head over there to help out."
Bonnie frowned at her mate's suggestion. She did not like the idea of Tyler rushing into danger without her watching his back. She also knew that they would not always be able to work together. "That would probably be a good idea. The sooner we can get into that vault, the better."
Damon nodded. "There are a few things in the vault that we're going to need to fight the travelers. Witchy can write up a shopping list for you."
Tyler rolled his eyes at the vampire.
Bonnie took out her phone and sent Tyler a text message with the items they needed from the vault. She leaned up and kissed him soundly on the lips. "Don't get killed or possessed by a traveler."
He smirked and lightly squeezed Bonnie's butt. "Not a chance. I am looking forward for a repeat performance of this morning's shower."
Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. She elbowed Tyler in the ribs and complained, "Ty…"
Damon made a sound of disgust.
Tyler grinned at Bonnie as he walked over to his car.
Damon watched as the hybrid drove away. "The two of you are nauseating."
She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "We can't help it."
"Sure…" He looked back at the mansion and asked, "What are the chances that Klaus let's Lucy leave?"
Bonnie hummed. "In her current state? 0."
That was the answer Damon had expected. He asked, "With the potion?"
She said, "50-50 chance."
He muttered, "Better than zero…"
"If not, we will have to depend on Elodie and her coven," Bonnie complained.
Damon lifted an eyebrow. "Are we going to talk about whatever is going on with the two of you?"
She feigned confusion, "I don't know what you mean."
"You don't like Elodie."
"I don't know her," she countered defensively.
"You don't know Lucy either. Is this because Elodie is a vampire?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "No."
"Then what is it?" he asked.
"A lot has happened to me since the first time I met Lucy. I have learned there are consequences for trusting people so easily."
Damon knew that Bonnie still struggled with what Atticus Shane did to her. She was even more troubled by the things that she did while using expression. However, he did not think either of those reasons accounted for her coldness with Elodie. He grinned, "Are you jealous?"
She scoffed, "Of what?"
His grin grew even larger. "You are jealous of Elodie! You had your chance to get with all of this, witchy."
Bonnie glared at him and snorted, "How will I ever recover?"
Damon sobered somewhat and said, "Hey. What's going on?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "You will make fun of me and I'll fry your brain. It will turn into a whole thing."
Damon bumped her shoulder playfully. "Come on...talk to me. I'm supposed to be your best friend, right?"
She whispered, "I kinda like being the only person in Mystic Falls that actually likes you."
He laughed heartily. "If it makes you feel any better, you are still the only person in Mystic Falls that likes me. Elodie just likes my…"
Bonnie's eyes went as wide as saucers. "You won't finish that statement if you know what is good for you."
"I was going to say my propensity for violence," he said in mock offense.
"Sure…"
"The point I am trying to make is, nothing about us has to change. You are lumped into the same category with my annoying brother," he muttered.
"With less brooding, right?"
Damon chuckled. "Yes."
"Good," she said.
"Will you be nicer to your aunt now? Because she has noticed that you don't really like her," he said.
"Really?" Bonnie asked in surprise.
He barked out a sharp laugh. "That was you trying to hide your dislike for her?"
"Well...yeah."
"Oh, Witchy. What have I done to you?" Damon remarked jokingly.