A succubus, at least according to Google, is a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men.
Christianity invented its own story of succubi in the Middle Ages, classifying them as demons. They were hideous creatures that resembled women, and would sneak into the bedchambers of men at night to sleep with them, causing nocturnal emissions. The legend around their creation centers around Lilith, who was created from clay alongside Adam. She was expected to be subservient to Adam, but because they were created equally, she demanded to be treated as an equal. She was taken by Samael, the angel of death, and replaced with Eve, a woman literally made from Adam. Samael took pity on Lilith, made her his wife, and together, they created succubi and incubi, among other demons.
This was sort of true. Artemis's mother was actually named Lilith, but had lived at the dawn of civilization. She had been driven to insanity after Artemis and her twin brother, Apollo, were born. Looking back, if Artemis would have to guess, her mother had suffered from schizophrenia and hallucinations. She cast a spell on the entire village one day, simply because she believed that peoples' shadows were out to get them, that made everyone in the village stop aging once they reached full adulthood.
Lilith had never anticipated the downsides of her spell. Everyone that the spell was cast on was able to live seemingly forever, but they could not reproduce. Furthermore, they required sex to survive. Sex made life, and therefore gave life to them. Even if it wasn't sex by the traditional definition, but some form of intimate contact, and only with the consent of the individual.
The Middle Ages, when people got very prudish about sex, was when things changed, and forced everyone to go underground. Many of their kind had been slaughtered, including Artemis's own brother. Today, attitudes towards sex in most parts of the world were far more relaxed, but Artemis still kept her guard up. There were still those who considered her a demon, and still those who knew how to kill her.
"This is their mansion?" Sage asked, her eyes wide as she took in the gorgeous marble foyer. "How can they afford all of this?"
"Nik is some kind of famous artist apparently," Artemis replied with a shrug. "I'm sure they've also done their fair share of investing over time, or compelling people to give them money."
Sage laughed. "I never had to use compulsion to get what I wanted, just my womanly ways," she joked.
"Come on, you have to see the bathroom upstairs," Artemis said, pulling Sage along. "The tile is to die for."
As soon as they hit the top of the stairs, the doors burst open and a body came flying inside, followed by Nik and Bekah. Sage tensed, and Artemis could see that it was Finn lying on the floor of the foyer. Slowly, Sage made her way down the stairs, as Nik directed Finn's attention up to the descending woman. Artemis could see the sparks flying between the two of them as Sage hurried down the stairs and Finn scrambled to his feet. They embraced with Sage standing on the bottom step, her hands stroking his face gently. His hands held onto her waist as if he believed that if he let go, she would disappear.
"Artemis, come and help my witch," Nik said, looking between the newly reunited pair and the succubus on the stairs. "Let the lovebirds be for now." He led her to one of the numerous sitting rooms, where a girl with dark hair was hunched over an old spell book. She looked up when Artemis and Nik entered the room, and her eyes followed Artemis as she took a seat on the opposite couch.
"Is he holding you here too?" the girl asked when Nik left the room.
"No, I'm here on my own accord," Artemis replied. "Nik wanted me to bring Sage by because he had found Finn. They haven't seen one another in nearly 900 years, and I'm a sucker for a good reunion."
The girl paused, giving her a once-over. "You're Artemis," she said, with a hint of confidence. "Damon brought you here for that one dinner. He says that you're really old, and really strong, and that we shouldn't mess with you. Why are you still here?"
"Kol is my husband," she told the girl. "We've been married for a few centuries, but spent a few apart because of something a couple of angry villagers did. We just bought a house together, near the woods, and we're thinking about staying for a little while. Who are you?"
"Bonnie, Bonnie Bennett," Bonnie replied. "I'm a friend of Elena's, and I don't really like vampires."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know that the Bennett line still existed," she whispered. "You come from a very long, powerful line of witches. I can understand now why you're not a fan of vampires, but keep in mind that there are more creatures out there than just vampires, witches, and werewolves. Some of us have been hunted to extinction, but those of us that look human have been able to survive."
Before Bonnie could ask another question, Nik swept back into the room. "Tick tock," he said loudly. "I should hear chanting now, not stories of times long since past."
"I'm still studying the spell," Bonnie grumbled, her demeanor changing from being inquisitive to being closed off and serious, her attention snapping back down to the book in front of her. "It's not that easy, especially under duress."
"You've been warned," Nik threatened in a low tone, leaning down so he could speak into her ear. "If you're looking for a way to send for help, I will kill anyone who comes to the rescue."
"She's a teenager, Nik," Artemis cut in, rising to her feet. She could see that Nik was getting close to destroying this girl's life in any way that he could, desperate for the spell to be performed. Artemis was desperate to see the siblings unlinked as well, but not at the expense of the livelihood of another human being. "I understand that she's a powerful witch from a powerful bloodline, and that she's done some amazing things in the past, but she's still a teenager. She probably recently came into her powers. Do you remember what it was like when you were first turned into a vampire, and how hard it was to get control over the bloodlust? Bonnie is going through the same thing with her powers. You just have to have patience."
Nik was silent for a moment, sizing Artemis up. "Very well," he decided. "Perhaps she just needs a little more motivation." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialed a number.
It hit her before he even held the phone up to his ear that he was probably calling Kol. Everything clicked in her head. The reason that Kol had been sent to Denver was because Jeremy was in Denver. Jeremy was Elena's brother, and Bonnie was Elena's friend, but perhaps there was more of a connection than that?
"Kol," Nik greeted. "How's the weather up there in Mile High City? And how's our friend?" He paused, waiting for a response. "That's him," Nik replied. He held the phone away from his ear, and moved to stand beside Bonnie, showing her the device's screen. "There's Jeremy, playing fetch with his new puppy. Isn't that just the most adorable thing you've ever seen? Thank you, Kol, we'll be in touch." He hung up the phone, and turned his attention back to the girl. "So, Bonnie, how about that spell?"
Artemis now knew for sure that there was some connection between Jeremy and Bonnie that went far deeper than just being the sibling of a friend, as she watched Bonnie fight back tears in her eyes. The girl nodded at Nik, before taking her seat on the couch and looking back down at the spellbook. Nik smirked triumphantly at Artemis before leaving the room. Artemis reached for her own phone, and dialed a number of her own.
"Hello, darling," the masculine voice on the other end of the line answered. "Funny how you call just after my brother did."
"Then perhaps you already know what I'm calling about," Artemis replied, switching to speakerphone. "It's about that assignment that Nik gave you. I'm here with Bonnie Bennett, a witch of the Bennett line, who's working to unlink you, and Jeremy is a special person to her. Nik's holding him over her head, and stressing her beyond belief. He's innocent in all of this, Kol. You know how I feel about spilling innocent blood."
"Are you suggesting that I disobey the orders of my controlling older brother in favor of a request that I follow my morals from my beautiful wife?" he asked, amusement dancing in his voice. "How could I say no to you, darling, especially knowing that this boy is the loved one of a Bennett witch? No offense to you, Bonnie, but the last thing I want is to be on the bad side of a Bennett witch."
"That's all I ask of you," Artemis said softly. "I love you, and I miss you. Perhaps I will come and visit you soon."
"That would be a dream, darling," Kol replied with a chuckle. "I love and miss you too."
They each said goodbye before hanging up. "Kol is a man of his word," Artemis whispered. "No harm will come to Jeremy."
"I thought Kol was a cold-blooded killer," Bonnie said with confusion. "That's what all of his siblings told us."
"There's some truth to that, but his days of merciless killings are all behind him," Artemis replied with a sad smile on her face. "It was always Nik, Elijah, and Bekah. Finn was in that coffin long before I came around. Kol was always on the outside, and just wanted someone to love him. I fell deeply and madly in love with him, and he with me. Being separated from him was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. I just got him back, and I don't want to lose him again. That's why I'm helping you in any way that you need."
Bonnie nodded slowly. "I can understand that."
A scream of pain cut through their conversation, causing both of them to jump. Nik chose that moment to reappear in the doorway, causing Bonnie to turn on him in anger. "What was that?" she demanded.
Nik shrugged. "Just Rebekah having some fun," he explained. "Artemis, change of plans. I'm going to need you to keep an eye on Finn and Sage. It appears Sage is determined to introduce Finn to all aspects of the modern world, starting with the best alcohol Mystic Falls has to offer. Bonnie and I will work on the spell together."
Artemis looked between Nik and Bonnie, before nodding her head stiffly, despite the witch silently begging her not to leave. She once again fished her phone out of her pocket, and pressed it into Bonnie's hands. "If you need anything, you know who you can call," she said softly. "I must leave you now."
"But how will I contact you?" Bonnie asked, looking between the woman and the phone. "I mean, to give you your phone back?"
"I'm sure that our paths with cross again sometime soon," Artemis replied, a sad smile on her face. "Goodbye, Bonnie, and good luck. I know that you can do it."
She left the Mikealson mansion without another word.
"You've never had tequila before?" Sage was asking Finn as Artemis slid into the booth next to her. The redhead was shocked that her partner had never experienced the love-hate relationship of tequila. "That's embarrassing. Seriously, I'm embarrassed for you." She poured a line of salt down Finn's wrist, and then demonstrated how to properly do a shot of tequila: Lick the salt, down the drink, and bite the lime.
"Happy now?" Finn asked her, his lips puckered together after taking the shot.
She shook her head. "Lime," she told him, before placing the lime wedge in her mouth.
Finn copied her actions, and sucked in a sharp breath as the citrus flavor hit his tongue. "I'm truly awed by the evolution of mankind," he said, causing both Artemis and Sage to laugh.
"If you liked that, then you're going to love flavored vodka," Artemis told him with a smile, as Sage greeted another patron in the Grille.
The smile faded from Finn's face as he watched the interaction between the woman he loved and the random passerby. Artemis knew that Sage, like herself, had never stopped loving him, but she had needs, physical needs, that had sometimes caused her body to stray. The concept of casual sex was still one that Finn was trying to digest, and seeing a random man that could have been one of her past lovers wasn't helping.
"You know him?" he asked her softly, as if he was dreading the answer.
"I turned him," Sage replied evenly. Creating a new vampire was not a big deal to her.
"You turned him," Finn echoed in surprise, his eyebrows raising. "Why?"
"Because I'm in enemy territory," she whispered, leaning forwards. "When your brother and sister called, I thought I might need a little back-up. You can't trust anyone here." At that point, Matt came to clear off their table, but Sage's hand grabbed his wrist, causing the young man to look at her in surprise. "Some more tequilas?" she asked him.
The stressed expression on Matt's face broke out into a smile. "All right, cool," he said with a chuckle. "I'll let your waitress know."
As Sage and Finn smiled at one another, Artemis excused herself to the bathroom, but really followed Matt back over to the bar. He was surprised to see her standing there, almost a bit frightened, but Artemis tried to send her a reassuring smile. "Hey, I just wanted to make sure that you were alright," she said softly. "I know that Sage can be a little strong sometimes, and that she might not remember her own strength."
A confused expression came across his face. "I'm fine," he told her. "Why would you care anyway?"
Now it was Artemis's turn to look confused. "What do you mean, why would I care?" she asked, her head tilting to one side. "Kol likes you, and says that you're a good person. Why would I not care if a good person got hurt?"
"Because you're like them," Matt replied simply, grabbing some shot glasses from behind the bar to fill with tequila. "Your tequila will be right out."
"I can assure you, Matt, that Kol and I are not the people you seem to think we are," she whispered, before turning and heading back to her table. Matt came by and dropped the three tequila shots off, much to Sage's delight. He refused to make eye contact with Artemis.
The three of them prepared their lines of salt on their wrists, and snagged lime wedges off of the dish that Matt had placed on the table. But when the tequila hit their lips, Sage and Finn started coughing and sputtering, as if the sting of the alcohol was greater than they expected.
"What the hell?" Sage exclaimed, grabbing her glass of water and trying to wash the foul taste out of her mouth.
"Vervain," Finn growled, his eyes scanning the Grille. They landed on Stefan Salvatore, as he slipped out the back door. Finn and Sage rose to their feet, their faces twisted in scowls, prepared to go after the younger vampire.
"No, wait," Artemis told them sternly. "Stop and think about it for a minute. Vervain in your drinks, one of your biggest enemies conveniently slipping out right as you taste the vervain, and a brother who is hellbent on killing every Original vampire? What does that tell you?"
Finn paused. "I can't be killed," he reminded Artemis, looking between her and Sage. "Sage told me. The last of the white oak was burned the other night. We're back to being invincible again."
Artemis shook her head. "I know Damon Salvatore, and I know one of his plans when I see one," she whispered. "They've figured out something, and singled you out as their target. Perhaps they're only looking to neutralize you and your siblings, but there's still risk involved. That's why the two of you are going to stay here, call Nik, and tell him what's going on, okay?"
They both sat down slowly, but nodded, with Sage pulling her phone out of her pocket to dial the number. Artemis made her way over to the back door, and caught Matt's eye from behind the bar as she left. He looked surprised, to say the least, as his eyes darted between Artemis and the pair sitting at the table. It was clear that he had been part of the plan, and Artemis could only shoot him a sad smile as she pushed the door open cautiously.
She hadn't gotten more than a few steps outside the building when a figure appeared and shoved a wooden stake into her chest, the dull wood skewering her heart and lungs. Blood began to seep out of the gaping hole that the stake had opened up, and she looked up to see Stefan staring at her in shock. Her heart beat rapidly and uncoordinatedly, trying to pump out whatever blood it could to prevent her cells from dying, as her breathing was reduced to rapid gasps, trying to suck in as much oxygen as possible.
"Oh my god," she heard Stefan say as she fell back against the brick wall of the Grille, slowly sliding down to the ground. He sounded miles away, despite the fact that her blurry vision could still place him not far from her. The door next to her opened again, and Stefan was quickly replaced with Finn and Sage.
"Quick, Finn, your blood," she could hear Sage say, and she tried to say no, but it was too late. Finn's wrist was against her mouth, a slow trickle of warm liquid hitting her tongue. It was not more than seconds later when her muscles seized. Her skin crawled and burned, as if she were covered by fire ants. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she began to cough violently, her body attempting to reject the vampire blood that acted like a poison to her system.
The stake was ripped out of her body, allowing her wounds to bleed freely. Her coughing grew worse as blood began to fill her lungs, and the darkness of death took over.
The clock at the bedside read 4:19 when Artemis regain consciousness. She recognized that she was in Kol's old room at the Mikaelson mansion. So this was where she had been brought following her death. Artemis could feel that most of the internal damage had been repaired, and only a large, dark red splotch remained on her chest, from where blood had pooled from the broken vessels. Her heart raced, and she assumed that it was because she still had a low blood volume that the muscle was trying to distribute as widely as possible. Overall, she knew that she would be okay.
There was a figure next to her, sitting in one of the comfy chairs that had been dragged to the side of the bed. They were slumped over, their head resting on the mattress. Artemis could tell that it was Bonnie sleeping next to her. She was surprised, to say the least. If the spell had been completed, she imagined that Bonnie would have gotten as far away as possible, but for some reason, she was still here.
"Bonnie," she said softly, shaking the girl's shoulder. "Bonnie, wake up."
The younger girl sat up with a gasp, her eyes wide with surprise. "You're alive!" she exclaimed quietly. "When Finn and Sage brought you in, they were certain that you would never wake up, because your body rejected Finn's blood, but Klaus made them put you up here. He said that you would wake up."
"You're still here," Artemis whispered with a frown. "Why? Did Nik not let you leave?"
Bonnie shook her head. "He's angry," she said. "He made me stay. He was going to let me leave, but Finn and Sage dragged you in at just the right moment. Klaus was so mad that he made me stay up here, with you, and told me that if for some reason you didn't wake up, he would do to my mom and Jeremy what my friends did to you."
"Oh honey," Artemis said, feebly wrapping her arms around Bonnie as tears started to fall from the girl's eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"He threatened my mom and my boyfriend over that spell," she sobbed. "I had no choice but to do it, to keep them safe, but what was the cost?"
She pulled the girl onto the bed, allowing Bonnie to rest her head on her shoulder as she cried. One hand stroked her hair as she cried, while she murmured apologies and promises of protection. Artemis already had a plan in her head, a safe house that she knew Bonnie would be able to go to in the morning.
When Kol had gotten the call from Bonnie, he was on the next flight that got him anywhere remotely near Mystic Falls. He explained to Jeremy that he was going to visit his fiancée, who was a college student at the University of Virginia, while he was a student at the University of Denver. It was a believable lie, and perhaps Jeremy would one day find out that they were married, but not anytime soon.
He arrived back in Mystic Falls just as the sun was beginning to rise. The house was quiet when he walked through the door, and he rather suspected that something had happened the night before. Kol could smell blood from one of the rooms off the foyer, and wasn't surprised to see it pooled on a tarp. He knew that Bekah and Nik had gotten their hands on some white oak stakes, but there were still two out there that could be used to kill him and his siblings.
Kol climbed the stairs quietly, and opened the door to his old room. There was Artemis, the love of his life, sleeping soundly. She was paler than normal, and he could clearly see the dark half-moon bags that hung under her eyes. From what he understood, last night had been rough for her. It had apparently also been rough for the girl who was curled up against his wife's side, her eyes puffy from crying. This must be Bonnie.
He leaned over the edge of the bed and kissed his wife gently, feeling her draw in some of his energy to heal herself. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, a wide grin spreading across her face as he broke the kiss. "You're here," she whispered hoarsely.
"Of course I'm here," he murmured, returning her smile. "When Bonnie called, I bought a ticket on the next flight out. Or, rather, I compelled the gate agent to put me on the standby list, and got on the first flight with an open seat. You're coming back to Colorado with me. Things here are threatening to boil over, and I don't want you to be in the crosshairs."
"I do miss the mountains," Artemis whispered. "There's something that we have to do first. I don't want Nik threatening Bonnie any more. I know a safe house in West Virginia that I want to take her to."
"Anything, darling," he replied. Witches held a special spot in his heart, and he could never stand to see his brother treat them so callously, especially one of the Bennett bloodline.
Lucille Atteberry was a tiny woman with bright red hair that seemed to stick up in every direction. Kol and Bonnie were both rather surprised by her eccentric appearance, but Artemis embraced her wholeheartedly.
"Come in, come in," Lucille exclaimed, ushering her three guests inside. She gasped when she saw Bonnie's rumpled clothes and distressed appearance. "Alexandra! Come and show Miss Bennett where she can shower, and get her some fresh clothes!"
Alexandra, Lucille's daughter, appeared at the top of the stairs. She had inherited her mother's hair color, but wore it piled on the top of her head in a messy bun. Alex had recently graduated from college, and had been fortunate enough to work for a web design company that allowed her to work remotely. Lucille was more than just eccentric in appearance, and without Alex, she would probably forget things left and right.
"Aunt Artemis," Alex greeted with a warm smile and a hug. "And you must be Uncle Kol. I've heard stories about you."
He was surprised when she hugged him too, and it took him a moment to return the gesture. "All good stories, I hope," he chuckled.
"You must be Bonnie," Alex said, turning her attention to the younger witch. "I'm Alex, and this is my mom, Lucille. We're of the Atteberry line. It's a huge honor to have a Bennett witch in our home."
Bonnie hesitated. "Thanks, I guess," she replied softly.
Alex beamed. "Come on, I'll show you to your room and grab you some fresh clothes," she said, tugging the girl gently towards the stairs. "You look like you've had a rough couple of days."
Kol was taken aback by the woman's hospitality. Lucille was a witch, who was normally the enemy of a vampire. He knew that Bonnie was wary around him, and hadn't taken her eyes off of him for the entire car ride over, even as Artemis engaged her in polite conversation. It seemed strange that this woman so readily invited her into his home.
"Well, it would be rude to kill a hostess in her own home, you know," Lucille told him, shaking her mashed potato-covered wooden spoon in his direction when he had asked her. "And you're Artemis's husband. She's a good judge of character. Knew my husband was the worst the moment she met him."
"Aunt Artemis really helped mama out," Alex said softly, appearing in the kitchen. "My father was a deadbeat who loved to kick mama around, and somehow managed to stifle her magic. She helped mama get her magic back and kick daddy to the curb."
He later found out that the Atteberry line was a very powerful, ancient line of witches, but that Lucille and Alex were the last ones. Although they were the most powerful, and had thousands of ancestors to channel, Alex was the end of the line. Not that Alex particularly imagined that she would be the end. She was seeing a local boy, a lawyer, that she was getting serious with. Artemis had gasped with joy when Alex had shown off the diamond on her finger, blushing over the one that she had fallen for.
The table was set as Bonnie came down from the bathroom upstairs, looking refreshed from the shower that she had taken. It was a comfort food feast, with chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, Brussel sprouts, and corn bread. Kol had never seen some of these foods in his life, but took seconds of nearly every single one.
The only person who looked slightly uncomfortable at the dinner table was Bonnie, whose eyes kept shifting over to Kol. "Why is he sitting at the table?" she eventually asked, interrupting the happy chatter that had been taking place around the table. She turned to look at Lucille. "How could you even invite him into your home?"
"Why would he not be welcome in my home, or at this table, dear?" Lucille replied, the smile never leaving her face. "He's Artemis's husband. She's been family to us for a very long time. That makes him family too."
"But he's a vampire," Bonnie pressed. "He's unnatural, and an enemy of the witches."
Kol opened his mouth, preparing to defend himself, but Artemis rested her hand on his knee, and shot him a look that told him to keep his mouth shut. She knew that Bonnie wouldn't listen to Kol, but she might listen to Lucille.
"We're all a little unnatural here, dearie," Lucille responded with a chuckle. "I'm a witch, Alexandra is a witch, Artemis is, well, Artemis, Kol is a vampire, and you're a witch. I think we make a pretty complete set. But, more importantly, we all seek balance. Us witches help to preserve the balance of nature, but Kol and Artemis seek a balance of life. In order to continue their survival, they take bits and pieces of the life forces of other beings. And that is also a balance, just of a different kind."
"But they're monsters," Bonnie countered fiercely. "They're abominations. They kill for their life forces."
"And so do we," Lucille replied, taking a sip of water. She chuckled at Bonnie's obvious confusion. "Did you think that all witches do are simple magics, like locator spells, and not a single one harms humans in the process? There are some dark cults out there, those who practice blood magic and necromancy. Does that mean that witches as a whole are inherently evil? No, because there are plenty of witches that don't touch the darkness. You can't judge the entire vampire race based off of those that you've met, because there are some good apples out there. Like Kol."
Bonnie studied Lucille intently for a moment, her brain processing everything that the woman had told her. She turned to Kol, a guarded expression on her face. "Are you a monster?" she asked quietly.
"I like to believe that I'm not," he replied honestly, as Artemis gently squeezed his knee. "In the past, there is no doubt in my mind that I was. I killed scores of humans because I believed that I was a monster, and it was what monsters were supposed to do. I suppose I had a sort of god complex that spilled over from my human life. I was once a witch, and even then thought myself superior. But Artemis changed that all for me. She broke me down, taught me how to appreciate humans again, and become a better vampire. I haven't killed a human in centuries now."
There was silence at the table, while Bonnie continued to stare at Kol. She nodded once, showing that she understood what he had told her, but not that she necessarily was ready to speak with him again.
"Well," Lucille spoke, clapping her hands together. "Dessert, anyone?"
