Chapter 42: Paths Intertwined
Hayley stirred gently upon a bed of the man she loved, soft murmurs escaping her lips in a state of delusion. She was dreaming vividly. Her skin heated with sparkling beads of sweat that reflected the streaming sunlight dotted upon her forehead, her collarbone and neck. Her heart pulsed within her, her throat dry and closing up as she breathed shakily.
In her mind the wolves ran mightily through the lush green of the bayou, bloodthirsty and wild but with a lost condemned look in their eye. Strength fuelled by fear, padded feed drummed on the dark earth as howls pieced the night and the slaughtering began. Wolf blood dripping into the soil, the wheezing life crushed out of majestic beasts.
Hayley shuddered, her frame beginning to shake her hands curling into fists and in the process squeezing one that was not her own. The image in Hayley's mind began to flicker as the warmth of the hand within her dragged her back to reality.
A familiar voice whispering into her mind as things slowly began to fade to black.
"You're the last of your bloodline. These people will follow you." It strained and she held her fists tighter, clenching her teeth and gasping for breathes.
Elijah woke up with jolt feeling the pressure of Hayley's hand clasped so tightly around his own. His eyes darted towards her worriedly and he pulled her against him, cradling her in one arm, the other curving around protectively. He'd seen her like this once before he thought quickly, his mind diving into the past to recall the memory. The night he'd first kissed her. The night he had returned. She had been having a nightmare. His eyebrows furrowed, he had missed to chance to ask her that night and now he strongly wondered what it had been.
Hayley shifted in his grasp and he held her closer looking down with the deepest concern.
"Hayley." He called firmly, shaking her gently while sliding a hand over her forehead fear bursting into his eyes.
"Hayley." He repeated again stroking her heated cheek, dipping his hand into the water nearby and flickering it onto her face.
She woke up with a sharp gasp instantly gripping Elijah's arms, her eyes flashing wide open, her body sitting up rigidly. She stared straight ahead and Elijah watched her, holding his breath, before gripping arms around her and pulling her against him and laying her upon the bed. He hovered over her while she attempted to recover her breathing.
"Look at me." Elijah spoke to her facing her directly with a serious tone. He stroked her shoulders moving back her hair soothingly to calm her down.
"You must tell me what these nightmares are of." He spoke steadily, firmly heightening the importance of his request.
"It's important." He replied, rubbing her fingers lightly looking at her with soft gently eyes.
Hayley blinked reaching out to squeeze Elijah's shoulders as she dampened her lips and looked up at him but as she parted her lips no words left her mouth and instead her eyes gradually moved away. In all the mess, she had completely forgotten about last night's chaos, the plantation house fire and Jackson.
And this dream, this more so nightmare has awaken all her thoughts.
"Jackson, the wolves, the curse, the betrothal..." she suddenly began to think and her insides clenched as anxiety bubbled through her. As much as she tried to fight it, she was beginning to see the truth in Jackson's statement and it was hitting her so abruptly like a tonne of bricks. She was Andrea Labonair; she needed to break this curse. She needed to protect her people but at what cost?
Hayley gulped, biting down on her teeth.
Last night, Elijah had confessed to her everything he knew of Sabine and she said nothing concerning what has occurred at the plantation house. The information she had learnt about her family.
At the time it hadn't even crossed her mind. She had been so resolute on helping Elijah save Rebekah and Klaus she had forgot her about her own purpose in New Orleans.
Her mind somersaulted as she recalled Eve's words to her in the bayou.
"You're better off without all that..."
"He is too.."
Something inside her shuddered. Was that really it?
Would she have to choose? Her people or Elijah... What if it came to that? She suddenly gasped inside and terror back flipped into her brain.
A million questions began emerging into her mind and they filled her with fear.
Hayley eyes then flashed onto Elijah who was watching her with a fearful devotion, clutching her protectively and immediately sensing that something was wrong but patiently waiting for her. In that moment Hayley felt she could almost sob but bravely fought back the action. The last thing Elijah needed right now was another thing to worry about. She needed to be tough. She needed to be brave.
Her hand slowly hovered over her stomach to remind her of her vow. She had to be strong for her baby. There was no question about it.
All of a sudden however she internally grew angry.
"Why now?" she hissed inside desperately wanting to rant.
"Why does everything have to be so god damn destructive?" She cursed inside wanting to detach herself from it all, wanting to just lay with Elijah and forget the existence of every other issue.
But she couldn't. They both couldn't.
The wolves, the vampires, the witches... this was much bigger than them and it was killing her to acknowledge. In the short time they had been together so much had already occurred, there were so many obstacles in their way one after the other and yet he had held her to him not letting go as dearly as her heart had clutched his.
They were hopeless in this ongoing supernatural war.
And hopelessly in love.
She closed her eyes and swallowed relishing for a moment how much she actually loved him and Elijah, who painstakingly still waited kissed her lightly on the forehead.
Hayley scrunched her eyes on feeling his sweet touch. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hid over his shoulder as his arms slid around her waist kissing her messy hair. He soothes her slowly knowing for some reason she couldn't speak and accepting that she must have a reason why.
He squeezed her gently and Hayley sighed.
"I can't tell him." She decided.
"Not now." She told herself.
"Davina has just died; Celeste is back from the dead, Klaus and Rebekah have both been ruthlessly captured and who know where they are." She thought.
"No. Not now." She repeated to herself.
Elijah had told her she was his salvation and if he truly believed that, he'd understand her holding back from him.
"Yes he will." She convinced herself.
Right now Elijah's strength was crucial not only for himself but for the entire New Orleans. They needed to get Rebekah and Klaus back and soon. The wolves would have to wait.
Hayley closed her eyes and inhaled deeply rested her forehead against his shoulder.
"Hayley." Elijah finally spoke more soothingly puzzled by her behaviour but glad that she was calming.
He softly stroked the small of her back waiting for her reply.
Hayley moved away from his embrace facing him directly now. Strong and composed. She reached forth and lifted is hand about to speak, to provide a temporary explanation, but unexpectedly her attention was diverted as something caught her eye.
Hayley squinted suddenly pulling the sleeve of Elijah's shirt to reveal the bare skin of his shoulder and by doing so revealing a name marked in black ink like a tattoo.
Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion and Elijah equally baffled placed his hand of her over hers on his shoulder growing more and more perplexed.
Hayley fell into deeper thought.
The name she had found seeped into Elijah's skin was none other than Brin Deveraux.
The same name Sophie had given her in exchange for the location of Celeste's remains. Brin Deveraux was supposedly the witch who had excused the curse upon her pack. The question was, what the hell was it now doing on Elijah's body?
Hayley looked on baffled and then abruptly she snapped out of her trance and strong-minded look strengthening her expression, her signature fierce look firing into her eye.
She looked at Elijah firmly, the corner of her mouth twitching and curving slightly, the glint returning in her eyes.
"Maybe our paths do coincide after all." She contemplated and then bit down on her bottom lip.
"Take off your shirt." She instructed bluntly.