Part 10

"Good work," Tristan stated as he observed the small brown bag. It only entailed few coins, but to him it had been very valuable. It had given him a chance to have a conversation with Elijah's human. And of course it had given Antonia a chance to observe the girl.

"Thank you, my lord," one of his men replied and bowed before leaving the room.

"So, my dearest Antonia," Tristan hummed after a moment of silence. "What do you think about Elijah's lovely little human?"

The woman who was sitting on the armchair glanced at him calmly. She had silky black hair, tanned skin and very dark eyes. There was no denying that she was beautiful, but that wasn't the reason why she interested Tristan so much. She happened to be one of the most talented seers he had ever met.

"This girl…" Antonia mumbled. She was biting her nails, as always when she was thinking about something that interested her. She got bored very easily and was always looking for new ways to entertain herself. Her idea of entertainment was hardly pleasant, but Tristan certainly didn't care about that. As long as she was useful to him, she could do what ever she wanted. With who ever she wanted.

"She has a very unusual aura," Antonia finally continued.

"Unusual how?"

She shrugged.

"I am not sure."

Tristan frowned.

"Surely you can tell me something?"

She was quiet for a while and continued biting her nails.

"I would say that she has spent her whole life fulfilling the needs of other people. It comes natural to her."

"Yes, she is a servant…"

"No, not just physical needs. Something more. I believe that is the reason why Elijah Mikaelson has kept her for so long."

"And what is this something more?"

Antonia shrugged again.

"Difficult to say. Whatever she is giving to her master, clearly he values it a lot."

Tristan wasn't pleased at all; Antonia hadn't told him anything useful. Of course Elijah valued his human, Tristan already knew that. He had wanted to know what was so special about this girl and could she be used against Elijah. What Tristan wanted was to make him pay for what he had done to him and Aurora. Thinking about his poor sister made Tristan to grit his teeth.

Aurora's mind had already been fragile before Elijah's compulsion, but after that… Tristan had been forced to lock her up to stop her from hurting herself. He had done everything he could to help her, but she wasn't getting better. Her mind was broken. Elijah would most certainly pay for that, Tristan would make sure of it. He had already started to make friends and allies inside the Strix. It was a good start. Fortunately Tristan was a patient man, he had time to wait. All the time in the world.

Klaus marched towards Dafne's room; he was done playing with her. If she thought that she could simply avoid him, she was wrong. He would take what she owed him right now. Elijah wasn't home yet and according to one of the maids, Dafne had arrived a while ago and went straight to her room, asking not to be disturbed. Klaus' eyebrows furrowed when he tried to open the door to her room and noticed that she had bolted it.

"Dafne!" he snapped. "Open the door!"

She didn't. Angrily he yanked the door open, breaking the bolt. Dafne was in bed, she seemed to be asleep. Determinedly he walked over to her and touched her shoulder. She flinched and her eyes opened immediately. He noticed how pale she was, but he was determined to ignore that. She didn't mean anything to him; he only took her blood because he happened to like the taste of her. That was all.

"My lord…" she murmured tiredly.

"You owe me," he cut in coldly. "I am here to collect."

She looked exhausted as she slowly got into a sitting position.

"Could you be so kind and wait until tomorrow? I am not well…"

"I do not care," he snapped. "We made an agreement, I expect you to honor your part."

"I will, but I am asking you to wait until tomorrow. Please."

He glared at her coldly, although he could see that she wasn't lying. She didn't look so good.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked as carelessly as he could.

"I am feeling a little dizzy," she replied. "I would like to get some rest."

"Do you need a doctor?"

"No, no, I just need to rest."

He pressed his lips together; he certainly wasn't worried about her. First of all, she couldn't die and second of all… He didn't care.

"Have something happened?" he huffed.

"Rough day," she murmured. "I got robbed."

His eyes narrowed.

"Were you hurt?"

"No, no, it was some pickpocket. The fault was mine, I was careless. Fortunately I did not have much money with me."

"Hmm. If you need money…"

"No, thank you, I do not."

He smirked.

"Well, perhaps I should still pay you something for your service."

He noticed her stiffening for a brief moment before she controlled herself again.

"My lord is very kind, but that won't be necessary," she stated coolly.

"Yes, I am aware that Elijah gives you money."

"For my work."

"Your work…" He paused and leaned towards her. "What work is that? His bed warmer?"

She looked at him coldly, but he could tell that his words had offended her. A part of him, the wicked part, was glad about that. She deserved to be put back in her place, she was no honorable woman. Yet she acted like she would be. She had turned him down. Not that he cared of course. He hadn't really wanted her. That was obviously a lie, but he wasn't going to admit it.

"You will come to me tomorrow night," he stated and headed to the door. "Do not keep me waiting."

He marched out before giving her time to reply. Damn girl… Why could he not simply get her out of his head? He headed to parlor and was surprised to see his little brother sitting on the sofa. Kol smirked as he noticed Klaus.

"Hello, Nik. Missed me?"