When the Autumn Moon is Bright

6

Mikaelson Compound, New Orleans

Given Lisina's unexpected arrival and the state that she had left the courtyard (and several of Klaus' minions) in, it proved difficult for Freya to find a quiet moment to speak with Hope for quite some time. When she was finally able to track down her niece without prying eyes or ears surrounding them, it was just past lunch time. Hope was sprawled face down in the centre of her unmade bed, doing nothing in particular besides existing, or so it seemed. She was still clad in her pyjamas, or the clothes that served as them, her hair spilling around her shoulders in tangled curls.

Freya stole herself for the task to come, her fingers clenching around the wrapped box in her hand, which she knew to be dangerously capable of sending Hope back into another spiral of grief. Still, she had promised Klaus that she would deliver the gift, and she assumed that that was what Hayley would want too. Her brother seemed to know much more on that matter than he cared to explain, surprising Freya each time they spoke the more he revealed regarding just how close he and his fellow hybrid had been. It appeared that they had shared much more than just a one night stand and a daughter. Freya could see the remorse and grief painted plainly on Klaus' face each time that they spoke, and in a strange sense his feelings gave her hope. Klaus had learned to care about someone other than himself finally, and had apparently come to realise that his eternal life was not complete without people he loved to share it with. Freya could have wished for nothing better than that when she had first met her tempestuous, violent and paranoid little brother, who had been so greatly damaged by the decades of abuse he had suffered.

"Knock, knock," Freya choked out, tearing herself from her maudlin thoughts and crossing the threshold into Hope's room from the hallway.

The small box in her hands felt like an unbearable burden, and so Freya placed it down onto the nightstand so that Hope did not feel obligated to take it.

"Your mom and dad had this made for you..." she smiled briefly, watching as Hope's gaze settled on the offering. Almost uncertainly, the teenager lifted the gift up and tugged at the ribbon, glancing at her aunt for approval as her fingers worked.

Lifting the lid with stilted breath, Hope's blue eyes settled onto the ornate silver ring nestled in-between a velvet cushion. The round stone in the centre was a deep green colour, and the setting itself was somehow familiar, though she couldn't place from where.

Noting the frown of recollection, Freya offered gently, "It was your dad's daylight ring. He didn't need it anymore, so your mom thought it would be a nice birthday gift for you. She had it sized down and had them re-set it with your birth stone."

The audible sound of Hope swallowing caused Freya to look away, and she watched out of the corner of her eye as her niece lifted up the gleaming object and slid it onto the middle finger of her right hand.

"Thanks," Hope whispered, staring down at the ring. She found comfort in the fact that her mother had held it in her hands and that it had once sat on her father's finger. It was something from both of them; tangible proof that she had parents who had loved her.

Clearing her throat, Freya began, "I'm taking Ethan and Vanessa to the bayou. There's some business we need to attend to. I want you to stay here where I know you're safe, okay?"

Hope nodded in understanding, grateful not to have to suffer through the meeting with the Crescent wolves.

"Besides, your Aunt Bex is calling in a half hour and you know how upset she'd be to miss a birthday!"

"She's all settled in Gretna?" queried Hope, leaning forwards with a new sense of eagerness overwhelming her. Although Rebekah couldn't set foot in New Orleans given the consequences of the Hollow curse, her presence in the nearby city served as a beacon of hope. It meant that they were one step closer to banishing the evil that had fractured the family, and hopefully to working together to save Hayley.

"She is," replied Freya, squeezing Hope's leg before climbing to her feet, "Marcel is meeting with Vincent today in the quarter to discuss securing the witches' help whilst I deal with the bayou situation. Kol will come when we need him, and your dad is nearby too."

"Go easy on Lisina, Aunt Freya," Hope murmured, raising her gaze for just a moment before she found her guilt forced her to look away, "she's lost a lot lately."

"So have we," Freya countered, her voice quiet and morose as a dozen familiar faces of the dead flashed through her mind.

"She's trying to do the best for her people," continued Hope, a grim smile on her face as she finished, "Mom would have admired that."

"Your mom would never have threatened a child," Freya stated, a slight edge to her tone as she spoke.

Hope nodded her head, unable to do anything but agree with Freya's appraisal. Hayley, like Marcel, had always had a soft spot for children, and would never have dreamed of applying pressure to a grieving young girl the way that Lisina had only that morning. Grief could only be attributed to so much bad behaviour.

"What about E…" Hope trailed off, swallowing hard as she found herself unable to speak the name that had once evoked feelings of love, protection and comfort, but now only caused her immeasurable pain. Instead, she finished, "What about him? Where is he? Is he going to help Dad?"

Freya smiled tightly, making her way to the door and placing her hand against the frame as she turned back to regard her niece with as much confidence as she could muster.

"When we need him, he'll be there."

"You really believe that?" Hope arched an eyebrow, and in that moment she looked so much like her father that Freya blinked. Usually Hope favoured her mother, but the steely determination and rage in her eyes was all Klaus. Freya could only hope that this sudden burst of fire and determination would see her young niece through the coming days.

"I do," Freya countered, leaving little room for argument, despite the uncertainty she felt herself on the matter. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Hope watched as her aunt left the room and pulled the door closed behind her. Releasing a poorly contained sigh, she lifted her right hand and stared down at the ring that sat on her middle finger. Jaw clenched in anger, Hope Mikaelson took a moment to ponder the issue of her absent uncle and the part he had ultimately played in her mother's death. If there was anyone she held almost as accountable as herself, it was Elijah.

"Yeah, well, he better stay the Hell away from me."

x-x-x

The walk to the bayou was perhaps the most scenic journey Ethan and Vanessa thought they'd made since they had awoken inside the new century. After suffering long car journeys on highways to being herded around shopping malls and through busy downtown streets, the secluded, leafy stroll to the Crescent settlement was a welcome change.

Freya and Reggie walked on ahead, leaving Ethan and Vanessa to stroll at a more languid pace a few steps behind. Hand in hand, they took in the sights and smells of the forest, at once so familiar and yet so alien to their senses.

"Are you going to tell me what prompted your sudden change of heart about the wolf clans?" Vanessa enquired, looking up to gauge the expression on his face as she added, "perhaps the nightmare you awoke from this morning?"

Ethan cleared his throat, eyes sweeping the treetops and the surface of the nearby lake. A flock of birds took flight from the surface of the water, wheeling over with loud cries as they broke through the cloud cover.

"Maybe that had a little something to do with it," Ethan admitted after the silence between them eventually proved too heavy. He cleared his throat a second time, although Vanessa assumed it was a gesture born out of nervousness.

"A burden shared is a burden halved, my love," Vanessa reminded him, her fingers grasping his suddenly clammy hand just a little tighter.

The silence persisted for a while longer as the couple picked their way through the undergrowth. Up ahead, Freya and Reggie conversed in low tones, too far in the distance for Vanessa to truly overhear their conversation.

Finally Ethan spoke, surprising Vanessa somewhat if the tiny start she gave was anything to go by.

"I had a dream – a nightmare – that I didn't get to you in time, back in London," Ethan revealed, rubbing his free hand across his jaw and peering off across the lake in an attempt to avoid Vanessa's eyes, "you died… I… I killed you… you were begging and pleading with me to do it, and I didn't want to, but it was like there were these voices… and they were telling me there was no other way…. That the awful things you were saying were true and you couldn't be saved."

Nodding her head in understanding, Vanessa realised what had awoken her lover with such a start. It explained the panic in his eyes and the trembling, searching hands that had worked over her body as if to dispel the images his subconscious had conjured.

Once his pounding heart had calmed, she had managed to soothe him wordlessly back to sleep, his head cradled in the crook of her neck whilst she had stroked his hair and pressed kisses to his forehead. Eventually the warmth of her skin against his and the beating of her own heart beneath his ear had proved reassuring enough to lull him back to sleep.

But the vulnerability Ethan had shown her had been surprising - his usually gung-ho, confident swagger reduced to sheer desperation and panic – and so Vanessa knew it must have been a real terror that had gripped his unconscious mind.

Tugging on his hand to bring them to a halt, Vanessa turned until they were facing each other. Then, she reached out and secured his other hand in hers. "We are here together. The darkness did not win."

Ethan took a step forward to close the remaining distance as he pulled one hand free and lifted it to her face to cup her cheek. She peered up at him with bright, untroubled eyes, her smile widening when his thumb brushed across her lips and he bent his head to steal a kiss.

"You really feel safe here?" he checked, mind racing with the supernatural societal troubles he knew to be plaguing New Orleans, not to mention the complex and potentially dangerous spells Vanessa had agreed to perform for the Mikaelson clan.

"I do," she replied, noting the look of dubious surprise that crossed Ethan's features before he managed to iron out his expression. "We are undoubtedly among friends in the compound and, despite the discord with the Crescent wolves and the vampires, I feel as though we are well armed against whatever danger comes our way."

"Truly?" queried Ethan, shooting a glance into the distance, where the figures of Freya and Reggie were beginning to grow smaller as they disappeared between the rows of trees.

"Truly," Vanessa echoed, adding quietly, "I have not sensed a power like Hope Mikaelson's before. Given some time and the correct guidance, I believe she will grow into a force of inherent good. I would dearly like to see that happen. Perhaps to help in my own way."

Ethan nodded, his fingertips still grazing the crest of her cheekbone as his eyes swept her face. He was relieved - and perhaps a little surprised - to note how bright and, dare he say it, happy, she looked. It was a stark contrast to the dark and often pensive expressions that had so frequently twisted her pretty face into a mask of anguish. She looked as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders, and he supposed in a way it had.

"Is this your peace, Van?" he asked, not able to help mirroring the smile she offered in reply. It was the one thing she had always craved; to live within the light, to find peace of mind, to awake each morning free from the dread that had plagued her for many years.

Placing her hand over his, Vanessa turned into his touch. "My peace is with you, where it always was, and was always meant to be."

Ethan felt his heart constrict, and he hurriedly tried to dismiss the lingering anxiety his nightmare had prompted.

"I would never hurt you, you know that?"

His words were more for his own benefit than hers, and she dismissed them with a puff of laughter to signal just how ridiculous she thought he was being.

"Don't be absurd," her brow creased into a frown, and she chastised him with a look and a toss of her head. Her raven curls caught on the breeze as she peered up at him.

Narrowing his eyes, Ethan stared down at her, noting from his periphery that Freya and Reggie had stopped walking and had turned to face their errant companions. He inwardly cursed as he realised they didn't have time for the heart to heart he so dearly wanted, so instead he bent his head and kissed her again, ignoring the yell of protest from Reggie.

Vanessa giggled as she heard the man shout out once again, and she hugged her arms around Ethan's waist even tighter as she felt him draw her closer in a final embrace.

"Subtlety is not his greatest virtue."

Ethan grinned, turning around as the two fell into step again, this time his arm wrapped around her shoulder since he meant to keep her close. Freya had warned him that his reception from the Crescent wolves was likely to be frosty to say the least. Hayley had had a way with them that nobody else seemed to have perfected.

"Good news," Ethan smirked at Vanessa, "Freya says I probably won't have to marry one of their daughters long as I promise to at least consider betrothing our first born."

Vanessa simply arched a brow, her expression conveying that she wasn't entirely sure if Ethan was joking or not. She had heard a little about the wolves and their propensity for arranged marriages, including how Hayley had been betrothed to the son of another prominent wolf family even before her birth. The entire situation hadn't settled well with Vanessa, who valued the ideal of freedom above all others. Hope had revealed that her mother had indeed honoured the pact in order to protect her daughter, and that she had been fortunate that the man she had agreed to marry had been one with a kind and noble heart. However, the whole situation had still made Vanessa inherently uncomfortable, especially when she had realised that Hayley's relationship with Jackson had likely prevented her from pursuing the affections of the man her heart had truly desired. Hope had attested that that was a vampire by the name of Elijah – her uncle, in fact – but Vanessa had a sense that perhaps Hope was in some manner mistaken with her appraisal.

"Let's catch up, shall we?" Vanessa suggested, quickening her pace as she caught the somewhat nervous and fraught twist of Freya's lips, which the witch did her level best to hide from those around her.

By the time they reached the copse of trees that Reggie and Freya stood amongst, Ethan's heartbeat had picked up a little and his nose begun to twitch as his senses were flooded by the scents of more of his kind.

The wolves had been expecting them, and a large group of bayou residents had gathered to get the measure of the stranger Freya had brought with her.

Ethan felt all eyes on him as he took his place at the front, where a clearing had been formed for him and his party to address the pack. He cast a steely gaze out over the sea of faces, some twisted in analytical expressions of distaste, others openly curious, and many from admiring female eyes.

An older woman bustled to the front, flanked by a tall, red haired man Freya only vaguely recognised, and a rather irate looking Lisina, who was glaring with clear distrust at the newcomers.

Rather than shying away from prying eyes, Vanessa levelled her own unflinching stare back at the wolves, her hand clasped firmly in Ethan's. She ignored the whispers, gossip and speculation, choosing to remain at his side and deflect their hostility with indifference.

"Friendly bunch," Ethan muttered under his breath, noting how nervous Freya appeared. Reggie seemed to be drawing curious gazes of his own and, knowing the history of the curse placed upon them, the wolves stared at him with a mixture of reverence and irritation at his intrusion.

Intercepting the approving glances of a gathering of young women, Vanessa leaned closer and directed Ethan's attention to his new admirers with a smart tug on his sleeve.

"It appears you've caught the eye of the ladies, Mr. Chandler," she teased, wicked smirk in place. It was easy to recall the female attention the tall, undeniably handsome American had commanded from the female members of the audience upon their first meeting.

Although Vanessa had regarded the uncouth, womanising sharpshooter with disdain, she had of course not been blind to his charms; at the time, she was certain that he was not unaware of them either, especially if his exaggerated drawl and swagger were anything to go by.

Ethan shrugged, his thumb brushing the back of her hand in an absent fashion. "In search of a husband, perhaps. Alphas mate for life. A romantic notion for any young lady."

Craning his head, eyes still lingering over the crowd, Ethan murmured into Vanessa's ear, "But I've chosen mine."

He nipped at her earlobe and she indulged him with an affectionate smile. Their attentions, however, were suddenly redirected to Freya, who led the pack elder towards them. The crowd parted reverently as the grey haired wolf passed by, and Vanessa half expected to see them bow.

"It appears the court is yours, my love."

Freya spoke up in a strained tone that clearly did not go unnoticed by anyone, "Ethan, this is Audrey. She's the oldest surviving member of the Crescent pack."

Audrey, a tall, slim but formidable looking woman, raked her sharp eyed gaze over Ethan, who refused to shy away from the attention. Instead, he drew his shoulders back and stood taller, waiting for the woman to speak.

"So, you're the wolfman that Freya here expects us to instate as our alpha," she finally declared in her deep Southern drawl.

"Guilty as charged," Ethan replied, shooting the woman a glance and allowing, just for the briefest of moments, a flash of amber to cross his irises. Her lips curled into an almost warm smile immediately, suggesting that she was clearly impressed by Ethan's display of both power and control. Many of the Crescents were struggling in the wake of losing their link to Hayley, whose hybrid status had allowed them to change at will or not at all. They were facing an uncertain future, which would once again be decreed by the wax and wane of the moon.

"Well, it's not me you have to impress, doll," stated Audrey, turning to face the assembled crowd of wolves. A handful of young and undeniably brawny males pushed their way to the front of the group, sneers upon their faces and ill intent in their eyes. Ethan watched them all with nonchalance, although Vanessa stiffened at his side due to the perceived threat. He rested the palm of his hand in the small of her back and she relaxed, although her fingers twitched in readiness at her sides.

"We know you're struggling, without Hayley," Freya spoke up, taking a step forward and ignoring the incredulous puffs of breath and even growls that she was met with. "Hope is grieving for her mother, and in no fit state to be the leader you need right now. She's still a child, and her parents hadn't even started to prepare her for this kind of responsibility."

Sighing resolutely, Ethan weighed up the apparent 'competition', who it seemed were refusing to back down. "I figured this would end up a pissing contest."

Vanessa looked horrified at the prospect of violence - particularly given that Ethan would apparently be at the centre of the fray. Turning to Freya, she glared at her friend with building anger. Although she would do everything in her power to help, Vanessa would not risk the life of the man she loved, nor allow him to place himself in the path of danger again.

"Freya..." she began testily, falling reluctantly silent as Ethan's palm landed on her abdomen and he prevented her from stepping forwards.

"It's alright, darlin'," he assured her, his face devoid of all frivolity as he peered back at her. His expression was serious and imploring, conveying everything to her without the need for words.

Vanessa appeared less than convinced on the matter, and she quickly conjured to mind an incantation she knew would be capable of bringing the ridiculous matter to a conclusion, should it prove necessary. The wolves seemed intent on provoking the rage of their ancestor, but Vanessa was almost certain that they had no intention of invoking the rage of a witch who had defeated Lucifer himself.

Reggie stepped in front of the man he had been charged with protecting - a man his tribe had watched over for more than a century. His arms folded across his chest and he directed a disapproving glare at the nearest of the two men who sought to challenge Ethan.

"Didn't your mommas teach you to respect your elders?" Reggie demanded, not relishing the building atmosphere of aggression. It seemed the whole crowd was spoiling for a fight.

"You got some nerve to set foot here, Mikaelson. We heard the rumours. We know it's your brother's fault that our alpha is dead," a man from the back of the crowd hollered, and a cry of agreement rose up through the assembled throng, all of whom wore expressions of distaste as they eyed Freya. The witch stood firm, shoulders back and head tilted upwards as though she dared each of the wolves to make a move against her.

"Hey now, anything you have to say, you say it to me," Ethan demanded, stepping further into the mud and using his own body to shield the group who had accompanied him.

"Ethan," Vanessa whispered, unable to keep his name from tumbling from her lips like a desperate prayer. He resisted the urge to turn to offer her reassurance in the form of a smile or a wink, choosing instead to keep his eyes trained on the wolves, who offered the biggest threat to his safety. There was no doubt in Ethan's mind that he could take any one of the bayou boys who chose to swing a punch at him but, even so, turning his back on them was not a wise thing to do.

"We aren't going to stand for Mikaelsons poking their noses in our affairs anymore," a woman positioned at the front of the crowd declared, shooting Audrey a brazen look of defiance as the old woman scowled at her.

"Settle down, settle down!" commanded Audrey, her upper lip curling in disgust. "Hayley hasn't even been gone a week, rest her soul, and y'all are already fightin' over her crown like pups over a scrap of meat. You ought to be ashamed, every last one of you."

One of the men shrank back, avoiding Audrey's angry eyes as he appeared to momentarily take stock of his actions. Ethan watched him closely for a few seconds before his attention was taken by the shorter, blonde haired man beside him, who was shifting his weight indecisively from one foot to the other. He wasn't sure what had changed in the century he had been 'asleep', but Ethan had awoken with his senses more sharpened than he could recall - with a control over the curse that had been placed upon him that he had previously been lacking. He could practically hear his would-be opponent's heart rate pick up, and could smell the nervousness that rolled off his body.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, intensely aware of his surroundings, and senses collectively honed. So when the blonde man decided to rush full pelt at the werewolf, he was not in the least taken aback by the assault.

The blonde grappled for his perceived foe, but instead found himself unceremoniously hurled into the crowd as Ethan concentrated his rage into defending himself and the women on either side of him.

"Ethan!" Vanessa shouted, glaring at the assembled wolves as they began cheering and jeering, as if to encourage the fight.

"Enough of this! We came here to help you…" Freya implored, her eyes desperate as she swept the sea of faces before her. Many were familiar; she had enjoyed crawfish broils with these people, sang, danced, and broken bread with them many times over the years that she had known Hayley. She couldn't help but consider how bitterly disappointed her friend would be with their behaviour now. It was only due to her love and respect for the hybrid that Freya held back with her magic, even though every fibre of her was screaming for her to take some kind of action.

"Too little, too late," Lisina spat. However, instead of staying to bay for blood, as the others appeared to be doing, she spun on her heel and stalked back up the small rise to her cabin, which stood slightly set back from the track.

A second man ran at Ethan, head down and shoulders squared as he braced himself to make impact with the stranger's body. He didn't even get close, however, as Ethan reached out and seized him around the neck as easily as he may swat away a fly on a hot day. The man's eyes bulged, and he began to gag, his face turning quickly crimson. Ethan shook his head, tsking loudly so that all could hear his disapproval. With a flick of his wrist, he cast the man aside, refusing to so much glance at him as he skittered on his back through puddles of mud and filth.

"Anyone else care to try his luck?" asked Ethan, his tone even and steady, breathing not so much as spiking despite his physical exertions, "next one gets his wrist broken."

An enraged snarl was the only response Ethan received as a tall and lithe female wolf with a long braid hanging down her back raced towards him. As good as his word, Ethan grabbed her wrist at lightning speed. There was a harsh and loud crack that rang out through the trees, causing the surrounding wolves to wince in sympathy and the birds in the treetops to take flight again. The woman dropped to her knees, mud caking her jeans, and threw back her head as she let out a scream of pain.

Ethan arched a brow, flinging a dirty look at the wolves that almost dared another to challenge his authority. He allowed his wolf control for just a fraction of a second, and his gums prickled as his fangs revealed themselves. Then, he forced the creature back into its internal cage, although it railed and beat against the bars as best it could. It was eager for the conflict to continue and escalate in ways that Ethan was not.

His breathing ragged, Ethan surveyed the gathered wolf clans with abject irritation. He had no desire to be alpha of the warring factions, and if it were not for his sense of duty to Freya and her young niece, he would have liked nothing better than to leave them all to their bickering.

"Usually," he panted, wiping at his mouth where a tiny spec of blood appeared to be the only evidence of the fight he had engaged in, "I have issues with striking a lady... But in this case, I'm willing to make an exception."

Raising his voice, he barked, "Make no mistake, I don't want any part in this. I don't want to be your God damn alpha. But Hope Mikaelson is a kid - a grieving kid - and so I'm gonna step up and take her place until we figure out how to bring Hayley Marshall back. If you want to challenge me, step up, but I'm older and stronger than all of you."

A stunned silence overwhelmed the crowd and they looked to Ethan in surprise, as if they'd misheard the part about raising their werewolf queen from the dead.

"Come on, folks, what are you waiting for?" Ethan snarled, stepping forwards with both hands raised in a gesture that dared another of the wolves to come at him. Slowly, they began to shuffle backwards, their eyes drifting from their wounded female comrade to Ethan and then to Audrey, who watched the whole escapade with fury playing across her features. She had been fond of Hayley, as a person and not just an alpha, and to see her memory tarnished by the poor behaviour of the pack piqued Audrey's ire.

"Not so eager now, are ya?" Audrey scoffed, her boots slapping against the mud as she moved to stand beside Ethan.

"I'm not going to make you kneel," Ethan continued, his head whipping around to ensure that the crowd was listening to him attentively, "I don't go in for that kind of bullshit. But mark my words… you betray me – you lay a finger on any of the people I care for – I will make you bleed. Do I make myself clear?"

A hush fell upon the pack, and Freya watched them anxiously, aware of the fearful and yet grudging acceptance that seemed to have descended upon them.

Vanessa too took in the crowd, carefully watching their faces as she stepped forwards and instantly accepted the hand Ethan held out to her. Knotting their fingers together, he stood at her side, levelling his gaze upon each and every face as if daring them to either accept his dominance or else choose to fight it.

When it seemed that none dared to challenge the oldest amongst them, Ethan nodded, an eyebrow arched as he drawled, "A wise decision, folks."

Pausing until Freya had taken the few tentative steps to his other side, Ethan raised his voice so that even those gathered at the fringes of the group could hear.

"The fighting stops now. We'll deal with the vampires how we see fit, you just gotta play by my rules and I promise you good people we'll take care of it. The Mikaelson family are your allies. Hayley was practically one of them... So you do as Freya says and hopefully in a few days it'll be your rightful alpha standing here in my place. Do I make myself clear?"

A murmur of acknowledgement rose up, and a smile of satisfaction bloomed on Audrey's face. Turning towards the gun slinger, she offered her hand, bowing her head in an obviously symbolic gesture.

Ethan seemed almost embarrassed by her show of submission, but he did his best to accept it with grace. He nodded his head in response, meeting Audrey's gaze squarely as she rose to her feet.

"Do we know what happened to the guy who killed your friend?" he pressed, loud enough for the rest of the wolves to hear, which was of course his intention. Audrey let loose a sigh that seemed to rattle her thin frame. Her hands knotted together in front of her, and she nibbled on her bottom lip.

"He bolted. Ran right from the scene of the crime, covered in blood, hollering something crazy about voices in his ear," Audrey stated, seeming almost reluctant to impart her knowledge of the murder to the new leader.

Vanessa turned her head slightly, her brows creased into a frown as she pondered the woman's words, and the murderer's apparent motive. Slowly but surely a familiar wave of unease began to rise up from the pit of her stomach, and as she looked up she found Ethan's gaze upon her.

Shaking her head hurriedly, she shot him a look that conveyed they would discuss her fears later on, in private, and so Ethan continued his conversation with Audrey. The pack appeared to be hanging on his every word now, and Vanessa could only assume that to be a good sign.

Casting her eyes over the crowd, Vanessa allowed herself to slip free from the bonds of the earthly plane so that her mind could breach the confines of the dreaded veil between worlds; the demimonde - a place in which she found equal fear and comfort.

Their voices were subdued at first - little more than snake hisses - and though they were far more uncertain and gentle than Lucifer's coaxing, they were as persistent and insidious.

Vanessa saw them, then. Or more precisely, her mind's eye saw them; two figures, wandering amongst the gathered wolves, muttering and cajoling at the ears of several unknowing victims. Though she could not hear their words, their intent seemed clear, even if just from the way their bodies writhed and undulated, surrounded by a toxic looking black mist.

Destruction.

Chaos.

She felt their power hit her head on like a freight train, and her breath caught in her chest. The presence of the ancient pair bore down into her soul, capturing her momentarily by surprise.

"Amunet," the voice seemed to blow softly against her cheek, a spark of recognition in its tone.

Gathering her senses, Vanessa reeled back, determined not to allow the being any purchase on her mind.

"No!"

Ethan turned sharply, holding up a hand to Audrey to silence her as he looked down at Vanessa with concern and a sense of dread he had hoped this century would not provide.

"Van? What is it?"

Vanessa, eyes blown wide, simply stared up at her lover, her expression one of utter turmoil. It became clear to those surrounding them that something was afoot, and they began to break away from the throng into smaller groups, wandering off and whispering to each other. In light of what she now knew, such behaviour bothered Vanessa even more than their earlier aggression had.

"It seems, my love," she hissed, her fingers clenching around Ethan's sleeve, "that we may be facing a bigger problem than I first thought."