Bloodlines
Chapter 41: An Unblinking Death
Beta: PrincessOfSilence
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.
Crash!
Klaus closed his eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten for the fifth time that morning as he heard another crash from inside the bedroom; he'd been in the study, pawing the shelves for his mother's grimoire that had mysteriously gone missing when he heard Audrey practicing magic in the other room. A part of him was happy that she was feeling well enough to get out of bed and practice, but his mood was quickly souring as she continued to break things with her misfiring.
"Sorry!" Audrey called from the bedroom and Klaus opened up his eyes to pick up his search where he left off. He heard her cursing under her breath and questioning if an item she'd broken would be able to be replaced which made him chuckle to himself.
After the festivities, his suspicions of Genevieve placing the hex on Audrey seemed all too clear to him. A part of him had to wonder why a friend would betray another, but his question was quickly answered by the numerous times his own siblings sought to betray him. He hadn't lashed out at Genevieve as per Audrey's wishes, but found it hard at times to keep the beast inside him at bay. Audrey was and always had been a loyal asset to the Original family, so naturally Klaus took it personally when someone took matters into their own hands. Giuliana had been there to help, of course, and it was nice to see Audrey back to her witty, brash self.
Klaus yanked some books from the shelves, examining the covers and spines before tossing them carelessly onto the desk. This book would be the death of him if it continued to go missing. No one had been allowed in the compound since the feast and he guessed that Genevieve had given up her fight for the book when he handed her the clenched hands of the witch she'd sent into the compound to steal the book. It was imperative that he find it quickly, so that he and his siblings would be protected against his mother's most powerful spells.
"Can I help you find something?" He heard Elijah ask from over his shoulder.
"Yes, in fact. I believe you can." Klaus turned his attention from the shelf to his brother. "I'm looking for a book, about yay big, filled with our mother's most powerful spells. It appears to have been misplaced."
Elijah waltzed around the room in his graceful way that made his brother roll his eyes and he sat himself at the desk where the books were piled high. "How very mysterious."
"Indeed. At first, I feared the witches had succeeded in their efforts to obtain it, but considering their last attempt ended with me relieving a rather large, tattooed gentleman of his hands, I began to wonder if the thief wasn't a bit closer to home." His pointed gaze landed on Elijah who had uncapped a pen and was scribbling nonsense on a stray piece of paper that had been strewn on the desk.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be, brother."
"Well, admittedly, I did have a theory that your sudden interest in mother's grimoire was in some way related to whatever foolishness you've been conducting with the Crescent wolves." Elijah placed the cap back on the pen and placed it neatly on top of the desk. "Therefore, I took it upon myself to carefully place it where naughty, little fingers could not pry."
A low growl rumbled in Klaus' chest and he glared at his brother. "And here I thought you, of all people, would understand. I am simply trying to help those wolves. Play Samaritan to the abused, champion to the underdog, so to speak."
"How splendidly noble of you," the Original scoffed.
"Have you ever considered that, like you, I am trying to keep Hayley safe? Using our mother's magic to empower her people so they are capable of protecting her?" Klaus posed.
"Yes, unless, of course, they decide to seek retribution for decades held in exile and Hayley will find herself in the middle of an uprising. One that will only provoke further violence. You see, you risk turning New Orleans into a war zone, brother. I won't let that happen." Elijah spoke.
"The drums of war were beating long before we returned. I suggest you use a little less of this," Klaus made a talking gesture with his hand. "And a little more of these." He pointed to his ears and flopped down on his couch, smiling wryly.
Crash!
"Dammit!"
Klaus huffed a short laugh while Elijah curiously craned his head to see where the noise had come from. He recognized Audrey's voice and wondered why she was causing a raucous in the adjoining room. He didn't want to ask since he was clearly not interested in what his brother did with the witch, but curiosity was nagging at him like a petulant child.
"What on earth was that?" The Original vampire questioned.
"Just a bit of witchy magic practice." His brother replied just as Audrey stood in the door frame with some broken shards of what looked like a vase to be in her hands.
"This wasn't expensive, was it?" She asked with an innocent smile plastered on her face.
"It was," Klaus tsked and the witch frowned and brushed past him. She placed the pieces on the desk and wrinkled her nose in thought.
"How are you feeling, Audrey?" Elijah asked her.
The witch greeted him with a warm smile. "Doing well enough to get out of bed this morning."
"I'm glad to hear that." He was genuinely happy that Audrey was doing better. He hadn't known of her hex until Giuliana had told him and a small part of him felt guilty for thinking ill of her. Perhaps Elijah was feeling pushed aside or replaced by Audrey since his brother spent so much of his time and energy on her. It had always been Klaus, Rebekah, and himself over the years, but when Audrey came into the picture, that dynamic shifted off its balance quite a bit. Elijah could not see it back then, but he could see how his brother, the man who never let down his tall walls for anyone, not even his siblings, was slowly letting them crumble for one person.
"Well, it's good to see that you're doing well, love, but let's not forget that you're turning my house into a shambles," Klaus muttered from his spot on the couch.
"You're not helping." Audrey's blue eyes rolled dramatically and she faced him with her arms crossed over her chest. Klaus smirked devilishly at her, in such a way that she couldn't stay cross with him, but she still wouldn't let him see that his charms were working on her. "I'm getting stronger."
"Let's break some more things in my home to get you even stronger," Klaus suggested sarcastically. "You can start with some vases out in the garden."
Audrey's chest deflated and her shoulders drooped. Her frown grew even deeper and glared hard at the Original hybrid. Klaus ignored it until his head felt like it was going to explode. It had him groaning and clutching the sides of his head for a few moments and then Audrey stopped her magic.
"Don't be an ass." She spat angrily and leaned against the desk.
"As always, Niklaus, you have such a way with women." Elijah commented.
"I was only joking." The Original hybrid rubbed his aching temples.
"Well, stop." The witch examined under her nails. "Unless you want me to turn your blood into acid."
Elijah sighed deeply. "If you two are finished bickering,"
"Not likely." Audrey glared. "The day is still young."
"Very moody this morning, love," Klaus pointed out. "I would think you'd be in a better mood after the pleasant night we shared."
"You so do know how to spoil a good mood." She grinned.
"Please," Elijah held up his hand to silence the two. "The both of you could make anyone want to cut off their ears."
"On that note," Audrey pushed herself off the desk and sauntered to the doorway. "I'm going to make something to eat. You boys want anything?"
"Genevieve's head on a platter," Klaus murmured.
"Sorry, we're all out." She told him and looked to his brother. "Elijah?"
"No, thank you." He shook his head. "I'm going out to the bayou."
Both Audrey and Klaus shared a smirk at that. They knew why Elijah was going to the bayou and it wasn't to check on Hayley. Klaus could have pestered his brother about it, but he remained quiet and so did Audrey. Without another word, Elijah bid them good day and exited the room. Audrey wiggled her eyebrows and bit her bottom lip.
"Perhaps what I told him is finally starting to stick."
"And what thoughts did you fill my brother's head with?" Klaus asked.
"To get off his noble horse and take what he wants." She smirked knowingly.
"Please," he sighed, waving her notion off. "Elijah has been burned by pretty witches before. He won't make the same mistake again."
Audrey drummed her nails on the door frame and turned herself to face Klaus. She jutted out her hip and tilted her head. "Do you doubt me?"
Klaus' pensive gaze met her playful one and he narrowed his eyes at her. "You seriously think that one little shred of wisdom from you would change his mind?"
"Only time will tell." She whirled back around and left Klaus with that thought as she went to prepare breakfast. Klaus mulled over the conversation he had with Elijah last night and remembered how intent he was on taking what was his. Perhaps Audrey managed to worm her way into his mind and get him to admit his love for Giuliana.
"That's it." Eve coached and Hayley nodded through her deep breaths. "Inhale and release."
After doing another set of breathing exercises, Hayley sat herself up, propping her body up on her elbows. "I guess this means no epidural, huh?" Eve shook her head. "You sure I can't do this thing in, say, a hospital? The place with the doctors and the drugs?"
"Honey, the werewolves have been having babies out here since before you were born." She patted her knee comfortingly. "Stop worrying."
"Okay. Then what, Eve? I don't even know what it's like to have a mother, let alone be one."
"Trust me, when the time comes, you'll know exactly what to do," Eve assured her.
"I hope so. As fun as it is to image Klaus changing dirty diapers, I'm pretty sure that I'll be doing this alone." She crossed her legs underneath her.
"I somehow doubt that," Eve said.
"Yeah, hello? I'll be here to help." Giuliana spoke up from her spot against the wall in the shack. "Gosh, I can't wait to meet this baby."
"Me too." Eve smiled.
Giuliana scooted closer to her friend, a big grin on her lips. "Can I...?"
Hayley chuckled and took the witch's hand, placing it on her stomach. "Say, hi."
She gently rubbed over Hayley's belly and her smile grew feeling the baby kick against her hands. "I haven't been around a baby since my mom had my little sister."
Hayley watched her friend reminisce about her past. "How many kids did your mom have?"
"She had six. Three boys and three girls." Giuliana had to hold her laughter when Hayley's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
"Six?!"
"Yeah," she nodded and her face fell a bit. "It would have been seven, but she lost the last baby."
"I'm sorry." Both Hayley and Eve frowned, not knowing about Giuliana's mother losing a child.
"Thanks." Giuliana tried to smile. "It happened a long time ago, but it's something I've never been able to shake, you know?"
"It's not an easy thing to shake." Eve said. "But I can assure you that this baby is going to be okay."
"I trust you, Eve." Hayley nodded just as the front door creaked when it opened. Three pairs of eyes lifted to the doorway to see Elijah standing patently.
"Pardon the interruption." He stepped into the shack and looked to Hayley. "I wonder if I might have a quick word with the conspirators of a supposed uprising."
With help from Eve, Hayley was able to get to her feet and the pair left the shack to speak in private. Eve and Giuliana walked around the encampment, enjoying the fresh air and the sounds of the pack. Some of the kids ran by them, laughing and playing and waving to them. The women made their way to the lake that spanned out over the land and they watched as some wolves tossed stones along the water's surface. Being here in the bayou brought her a sense of comfort that she so desperately wanted to hold close to her heart.
"You know, being here makes me miss home," Giuliana murmured. Her emerald eyes scanned over the rippling water and the tall trees that reached for the sky.
"At the compound?" Eve wondered.
"No, I used to live in Italy in the eleven hundreds. Our homes looked so much like the ones you have here. Everything is so similar." She could feel the familiarity in her bones of her old home whenever she was in the bayou. "I miss it and I miss my family."
"None of them are alive now?"
Giuliana's nose wrinkled. "I wouldn't know. I was placed in a deep sleep until just about a year or two ago. They could have been turned, but I doubt it. My family hated vampires."
"A bit ironic how you're so close with vampires now," she humored.
"Yeah, I suppose it is." The Blood Witch sighed, her gaze on the lake. Eve saw how much Giuliana loved being with the pack in the bayou and a lot of the members of the pack took a liking to her. It made her heart ache that Giuliana's family was dead and that her home was so far away both in time and in distance.
"You know, you're welcome here anytime you'd like." Eve finally spoke up, making Giuliana turn her head to look at her.
"But, Oliver—"
"Ah, the heck with Oliver." She waved the thought of the temperamental wolf off. "This pack has accepted you and Hayley like one of their own and Oliver will have to get used to that."
"Thanks, Eve." The two embraced, but broke apart when the sounds of a motorbike's revving engine reached their ears. Giving each other a curious look, they moved to the middle of the grounds were a man on a motorbike had pulled up. Hayley, Jackson, Elijah, and Oliver joined them as well. The man didn't look like a wolf or a vampire. He stuck out like a sore thumb among the pack with his leather jacket and bike. Some members of the pack gathered around, curious to see who this newcomer was.
"Which one of you is in charge?" The man asked the group.
Jackson stepped forward, a cautious look in his eyes. "Who's asking?"
The man didn't reply or didn't move to get off the bike. Instead, he just smirked evilly at Jackson who looked uneasy. Elijah, sensing something was off, flashed forward and tackled the man off his bike just as an explosion went off. People were pushed back and thrown to the ground. The charred bike had gone up in flames and those impacted by the blast were burned and severely injured. People were calling out for help, but their prayers went unanswered as burst eardrums were healing from the sound of the explosion. The smell of burning flesh coated the bayou, mixing with the scent of gasoline that lingered where the remains of the bike were.
Giuliana was one of the last to adjust. Being a witch, she did not have the same healing abilities as the wolves. A high pitched sound rang painfully in her ears as she struggled to her feet. Her vision blurred in front of her and some images were crossing over onto each other. For what felt like an eternity, she remained on her hands and knees, trying to get her bearings. She could see people bleeding, their mouths open, but their screams were replaced by the noise from the bomb. Blood trickled from her ears and from the back of her head where she'd fallen on a rock when the blast went off.
A muffled and distorted voice spoke to her and she looked up to see Jackson kneeling by her. She tried to communicate that she was alright, but she couldn't form words. She wasn't even sure that she was still alive from the explosion. The wolf gently touched her arm and asked again if she was alright, but when he read her confused look, he simply helped her to her feet. Oliver was up and moving about, tending to people who were injured while Hayley had picked up a child in her arms, shielding his eyes from a man who was screaming and writhing in pain.
She yelled for Jackson and he came rushing over, arms outstretched to take the child to someplace safe. Giuliana leaned back against the trunk of a burned tree and held her head as it continued to ring. She whispered her spells under her breath, but wasn't sure if she was pronouncing them correctly since she couldn't hear herself. She continued to chant until, ever so slowly, her hearing was coming back to her. Audrey had taught her that Blood Magic could also help to heal themselves and others. Granted, it wasn't instantaneous like vampire or wolf healing, but it still did the trick.
Screams were the first things to reach her healed ears and she cautiously stepped away from her post to help the fallen wolves. She knelt beside a young woman who was bleeding out from her torso and placed her hands on the wound. Giuliana chanted her magic, putting some pressure on the burned skin and watched at the skin began to repair itself. Once the wound was closed enough, she helped the woman to her feet and walked her to a tent, so that she could treat others. She knew that her magic wouldn't be able to treat everyone, since she would overload herself, but she had to help as many people as she could.
A writhing man not far off from the explosion was her next patient and just as she reached him, Elijah's hand brushed along her waist as he joined her. This was the most disheveled she'd seen the Original. His suit was singed and his skin was covered in soot and dried blood. His tie was missing from around his neck and his shirt had holes in it.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, concern written all over his handsome face.
"I'm fine, but he isn't," she replied and lifted up his shirt. Hot burns were all along his sides and laced up his charred arms. In some places, bit of muscle and bone could be seen just under the sizzling skin.
"Wolfsbane." Elijah gathered from the sound of the sizzling skin. "Hayley believes that it was in the gas tank."
Giuliana hovered her hands over the man's wounds. "Who would do something like this?"
"I don't know." Elijah looked about in horror. If these wolves did not receive proper medical attention, they would die by nightfall. He then watched in awe as Giuliana healed the wolf.
"Elijah! Giuliana!" They saw Hayley running to them and they were thankful that she was alright aside from a few cuts and bruises.
"Hayley, you're alright?" Her friend asked and the hybrid replied with a somber nod as she kept her gaze on the healing wound.
"You can heal them?" She gasped.
"Not everyone. We don't know how many were hit from the blast." Giuliana helped the man sit up and Elijah took him around the middle.
"Take him to the tents," she instructed Elijah who wobbled off with the man at his side. "I need you and Elijah to stay here. Help everyone you can. I'll be back."
"Wait!" Giuliana grabbed her friend's wrist. "Where the hell are you going?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." She dismissed and Giuliana was going to reply when the call of some more injured wolves reached her ears. "Please, help my pack."
Giuliana bit her bottom lip anxiously and nodded. This would be a huge responsibility for her to take on, but she would do it for her friend. "Okay. I will."
Hayley darted off and the pair was left in the middle of a war zone. The body count continued to rise with great haste and the number of injured wolves were steadily climbing. Babies were wailing, children calling for their parents and families searched for their loved ones through the wreckage. This crime committed against the wolves would be unforgivable within the pack and certainly the most unforgettable tragedy to occur in years. Hayley slammed the door to her car shut angrily and jabbed the keys in the ignition. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had attacked her pack. She put the car in gear and sped out of the bayou onto the main road. Her foot pressed on the gas and she watched the speedometer rise steadily. Her gaze glanced to the sharpened stake that was tucked between the passenger seat and the steering console, smirking on how nice it would look stabbed into Marcel's heart.
"I don't know why I am here. There isn't much I can do," Audrey whispered to Klaus. The darkened room of the church attic was only illuminated by some shards of sunlight that managed to peek in through the tightly closed shutters from outside. Kieran was strapped down to a bed while his niece, Cami sat by his side. The priest was yammering in his sleep about devils and demons in his sleep while Cami tried her hardest not to cry. She called Klaus in a moment of weakness, practically begging him to help her uncle, but when Klaus arrived, he made the grave discovery that nearly nothing could be done to help Father Kieran.
"I'm a witch; not a doctor," she added.
"You were a nurse in 1920, weren't you, love?" Klaus muttered.
"Yes, but I was able to use my magic. Keep in mind, I'm still hexed."
Cami's blue eyes flicked at her uncle's heart monitor which beeped loudly and seemed to fill the void of the empty room. She could hear Klaus and Audrey talking, but all she could do was focus on the man who had been like a second father to her all her life. She'd tried to shock him with electrodes since she'd read in her psychology textbook that electro-shock therapy could help, but it only worsened his condition. Her uncle was resting now, the shock therapy had taken a lot out of him and she wished that there was more that she could do. Klaus had mentioned to turn him into a vampire, suggesting that Kieran's death would eliminate the hex, but in the end, it was Cami's decision to make.
"Camille?" The girl looked up to see Klaus standing to the side of her. "I have a friend of mine who might be able to help."
Cami's gaze was now jumping from Klaus to Audrey. "I don't know her. Why would I even want her near my uncle?"
"I can assure you that she can help in ways that doctors cannot," he said. "She is a witch, but a different kind of witch."
"How do I know she won't hex him again?" She was growing angry. "How can I trust her?"
"Because the same person who hexed your uncle, hexed me." Audrey spoke up, her eyes locking with Cami's. "I understand the pain and torment that Genevieve has caused. I don't intend on making him suffer more."
Cami remained stone still, her mind reeling a thousand thoughts per minute. Witches were what caused her uncle's downward spiral, yet a new witch was willing to help in spite of the fact that she was hexed herself. Would Audrey's magic be enough? Or would Kieran continue to fall from grace? With much difficulty, she stepped aside, allowing Audrey to take her place at Kieran's bedside. She watched as the witch took up the wrist that had the hex mark on it and she clasped his one hand in both of hers.
Audrey's eyes fell closed and she didn't have to focus hard to feel the hex. It was a strong one and very poisonous. She felt as if she was inhaling toxic gas into her lungs by just holding Kieran's hand. He was being tortured by memories of the past and his mind was slowly becoming warped into an unrecognizable being. Audrey saw a different witch than the one who cast the hex and she was in charge of Kieran's subconscious, playing around with it like how a puppeteer tugs on a puppet's strings.
"It's Bastiana," Audrey growled, still with her eyes closed. "She's controlling his mind."
"And the hex?" Cami asked.
"It's strong; very strong." She replied. "I'm trying to change Bastiana's visions of horror into ones of peace, but she is fighting me."
"Bastiana is dead. How is it that she still holds control over the priest?" Klaus questioned.
"She is on the Other Side." Audrey answered. "She must have found a way to ground herself."
"This is insane." Cami huffed. "How can we break this?"
"I'm trying, dear." The witch peered up at her.
"Well, try harder." She gritted and Klaus took her by the joint of her elbow and pulled her back, a warning look in his eyes.
Audrey closed her eyes again and let herself slide into Kieran's unconsciousness. It was a dark place, thanks to Bastiana, that was covered in black smoke, so thick that Audrey could hardly see one foot in front of her. The maniacal laughter of demons echoed all around her. She waded through the darkness, looking for someone, anyone that she would recognize, but her search was ended seeing a shadowy figure in the distance. Her pace quickened, jogging towards the person, but they suddenly disappeared in a whiff of smoke. Audrey halted her steps, turning over her shoulder to look about her, but the smoke had risen even higher, nearly suffocating her. She placed her mouth and nose in the crook of her elbow, stopping herself from breathing in the gases and she began to walk forward again when she tripped over something. She called out as she fell to the floor, bracing herself on her hands and it wasn't until she could see the outline of her fingers on the marble floor below her, did she realize that the smoke clouds were dissipating. The darkness around her faded, making it easier to see where she was and saw that she was on the altar of St. Anne's church. Once the smoke was completely cleared, Audrey rose to her feet and brushed off her knees, but her body froze when she felt blood on her hands. Had she fallen so hard that she broke the skin?
Ever so slowly, she peered over her shoulder to see the bloodied body of a young man sprawled out on the floor. He was dressed as an altar boy, his mouth agape as if to scream, but no noise left his blue lips. His eyes remained open in horror and a laceration marked his neck. Looking about her, she saw many bodies like the one she had tripped over, all of them dressed like altar boys and all of them covered in blood and large holes or gashes. This must have been the kind of nightmare that Bastiana had created for the priest and she had done quite the job. Even the smell of death and decay reached Audrey's nostrils and made her stomach churn. The witch responsible sat in the front pew, her head bowed down as if in prayer, but she was scanned over the open bible that was in her lap. Audrey faced her, but Bastiana didn't look up at her. The Blood Witch felt her hands twinge, the effects of her own hex spurring through her fingers, but she gave a hard shake of her hand. As if on cue, Bastiana shut the bible and placed it beside her on the pew. Both witches were standing now, looking upon the other with hardened gazes. Audrey took a step towards Bastiana, but the witch held her ground.
"You've outdone yourself," she said.
Bastiana gave the young witch a crooked smirk. "I can only take credit for a small part. Most of this is already inside the good father's head."
"Leave him be, Bastiana. He has suffered enough."
"Hardly." The redhead scoffed. "He must atone for his sins."
"Not like this." Audrey shook her head.
"Then perhaps Klaus shouldn't have angered Genevieve."
"Don't you think it should be the other way around?" Her eyes narrowed.
"It is his fault that Father Kieran's hex is not cured." She spoke. "Along with yours."
"Don't blame him." The Blood Witch growled.
"Ah, there it is. The very same fire that gave you that scar." Bastiana sauntered closer to her. Audrey's blue eyes clouded with anger and she recoiled as Bastiana's hands reached for the scar that rested on her chest. "Because of your need to defend him, you sacrificed your own life. But I wonder...how many times will you continue to defend him?"
"Stop." Audrey held up her hands.
"That beast that you share a bed with will only lead to your own destruction." She gripped Audrey's wrists and examined her scared hands with a deep frown. "In fact, it's already begun."
Suddenly, Audrey's entire body clenched up as the same electric charge she'd felt in her hands was now shocking her heart. A horrid scream was ripped from her lungs and blood dribbled from her nose. The effects of the hex had been intensified nearly tenfold, a warning to what would come if she was not cured soon. She tried to pull away from Bastiana, but she refused to let go, keeping an iron grip on her wrists. Audrey fell to her knees, her head down as she continued to tremble. Bastiana smirked down at the helpless witch and finally let go, allowing Audrey to fall to her side. Labored breaths passed her lips and her body spasmed on the marble floor of the altar.
"Poor dear," the witch sighed. "You don't even realize that you will be second best to Klaus now that his daughter is on the way."
It took a few moments, but Audrey was able to roll onto her stomach and push herself up on her hands. "W-what are you talking about?"
"The mother of his child and his daughter will be of his main priority now." Bastiana said. "I think you know deep in your heart that you will never be able to give him what Hayley can. That bastard child who forever dreamed of a family can now have what he has always wanted."
Audrey's bottom lip quivered and her heart clenched. Ever since she learned of Klaus' daughter, she had a sinking feeling that she would soon be cast aside once she was born. Klaus and Hayley and their daughter would be the family he desired, while Audrey would be nothing. Hearing Bastiana say it only made the pain worse and she hissed through her teeth.
"You bitch!" She managed to lift her head to sneer at the witch.
"Don't say I never warned you, dear." Bastiana tsked and swirled her index finger in the marble basin that was filled with holy water. "There is one thing..."
Audrey struggled to stand, gripping the side of the podium to pull herself up. "What do you mean?"
"If you want all of Klaus' attention, you know what you have to do." The tone in her voice suggested Audrey to fill in the blanks and as soon as it came clear to her, she nearly staggered back.
"You're saying I should kill the baby." She murmured.
"I am not saying anything. I am merely pointing out what measures would have to be taken if you don't want to be replaced." The witch said.
"I would never—"
"Never say never, young one." Bastiana interrupted her. "Now, I've enjoyed our time together, but you really must be going."
The floor beneath Audrey suddenly began to crack and give way. The entire church shook as if the earth was quaking and before she could jump to solid ground, the marble caved in and she plummeted into darkness. She fell through the shadows, screaming and trying to claw at anything to hold onto.
Down.
Down.
Down.
Audrey's eyes shot open, she let go of Father Kieran's hand like she'd been burned and she scooted back from him. Thankfully, she was able to escape Bastiana's nightmare, but she was still shaken up badly. Klaus and Cami stared upon the witch, seeing that blood had fallen from her eyes, nose and lips. When she was in Kieran's subconscious, they noticed the blood and tried to rouse Audrey to pull her from the priest's mind, but something held her there. The Blood Witch used the back of her hand to clean away the crimson liquid and Cami handed her a spare towel.
"What just happened?" She asked.
"I was in his mind. I saw all of the horror that Bastiana created and then I was..." Audrey trailed off, swallowing her words, so that she wouldn't have to tell Klaus about the baby.
"And?" Cami pressed for further answers.
Once Audrey's face was cleaned, she handed the towel back to Cami. "And then, I saw nothing. It was like I was yanked out of his mind."
"That's because I killed him." Klaus piped up.
"What?"
"Cami decided that it would be best to turn him to get rid of the hex. Now, all we have to do is wait for him to awaken and make his decision about becoming a vampire, or not." He explained. Audrey took up Father Kieran's hand and examined the mark where the hex had been, but his skin was clean.
"Well, I'll be damned." She hushed. "It worked."
"He's gonna kill me." Cami began to pace nervously back and forth. "He's a priest. I turned him into a vampire. What kind of desperate move is that?"
"It's a chance for you to say your proper goodbyes," Klaus said just as his phone rang from inside his jacket pocket.
"Klaus, where are you?" Hayley's voice sounded frantic.
"I'm in a bit of a situation here, Hayley," he replied, keeping his eyes on the sleeping priest.
"Somebody sent a suicide bomber out to the Bayou this morning," she said and Klaus' body tensed up.
"What? Where are you?"
"I'm in the city now. I'm fine. I figured an attack like that must have been Marcel. He's hated the wolves for years, and after that stunt he pulled with the witches. So, I tracked him down. Thought you might like to help kick his ass for trying to blow us to kingdom come." The very suggestion made the Original hybrid snicker.
"It would be my pleasure." Klaus hung up the phone.
"What happened?" Cami asked.
"Someone decided to blow up the bayou and I have a pretty good idea on who it is."
"It's not Marcel," Audrey replied as stood beside the priest.
Klaus eyed the witch up and down pensively. He slowly walked to meet her, a fire burning in his soul that she felt so entitled to tell him that it wasn't Marcel. "Enlighten me, then."
"He is already on your bad side and he lost his friend because he went after Giuliana on the night of the feast." She explained. "I doubt that he would cross you again."
"Since you think you know who didn't blow up the bayou, I'd be curious to know who you think did." He was towering over her now, his gaze aflame.
"I don't know who did it, but I can tell you that it wasn't Marcel." Audrey knew how sensitive Marcel was when it came to children being hurt and with all of the families in the bayou; it didn't make sense for him to send in a suicide bomber.
Klaus grabbed Audrey by the collar of her shirt and slammed her back against the wall. He growled low in his chest, pressing his face close to hers and staring her down. Cami was frozen to her spot, afraid that saying anything would anger Klaus enough for him to do something that would cause Audrey her life.
"If I find out that you know who bombed the bayou, I will make you wish for your death after I'm through with you!"
Audrey's jaw tightened and her blue eyes narrowed sharply. Her fists clenched at her sides and she moved her face even closer to his as if she was challenging him. "How dare you even think that I would have something to do with what happened in the bayou?"
"I can never be too careful, love," he said and Audrey saw red hearing his term of affection for her.
"Don't call me that," she hissed and thrust her hands upwards, gripping the sides of his head. Her fingertips dug into his temples and she whispered the words of a spell under her breath. While her magic was not at full power, she could still cause Klaus pain and that's what she wanted most now. Klaus roared loudly, blood dripping from his nose and underneath his eyes. Audrey pressed her thumbnails into his skin, making him bleed even more as he groaned at her feet.
"If you are so blinded that you can't even see that I am on your side, then you really don't know me at all." Audrey's voice was dark and menacing, but the slight waver in her tone suggested that she was more hurt than anything.
"Please, stop this." Cami's plea was barely heard over Klaus' wailing, but it wouldn't have done any good. With the slightest jerk of her head, Klaus flew back and up, crashing through one of the boarded up windows that kept the sunlight out. Gasps and shouts were heard down below when Klaus hit the ground and the earth shook. Cami pressed herself to the wall, fearful of the young witch and even of Klaus as he banged his fists on the doors of the church. Audrey waved her hands and chanted a few words. Magically, the planks over the window were restored and Klaus continued to pound the doors. He was shouting like a madman and trying to get inside, but Audrey had fixed him for now.
A few long minutes passed until Klaus stopped his bellowing and Cami then peeled herself away from the wall, testing the waters with the witch who hadn't even looked at her. "What happened?"
"He can't come inside." She spoke softly. "He wanted so badly to get out, so now he is out."
"Boy," the blonde sighed. "That escalated quickly." The comment was meant to lighten the mood, but Audrey didn't even bat an eyelash. She simply turned her back and stalked from the attic without a word to anyone. Cami's nose wrinkled, not knowing if she should even consider talking to Audrey now, but her plans were firmly halted when her uncle snapped upright in bed.
The chaos in the bayou had calmed significantly now that the injured had been tended to, but that didn't eliminate the fear of another attack or the confusion as to why someone would attack the pack. Elijah, Giuliana, Oliver, and Jackson were keeping things running as smoothly as possible. Many of the wolves were being taken care of by other pack mates with the use of herbal remedies while Giuliana helped to heal the wolves that were especially bad. Expending so much magical energy really did tire her out, but she had to help the pack in any way she could. She would even stay with the younger child who had parents or siblings who were hurt in the blast while waiting for her magic to recharge.
She pushed open the flap of one of the tents and stepped outside, enjoying a short break now that things had settled down. The normally fresh bayou air was tinged with the smell of smoke and gasoline from the burned bike, but the witch pushed the unpleasant scents aside. Some women came back from the wooded areas outside the encampment, their arms filled with baskets that held leaves and flowers for healing and they smiled warmly at the witch, a silent thank you for helping. Giuliana saw Elijah off in the distance, his darkened eyes scanning the area for anymore threats and she walked to meet him, a bit surprised and worried that Hayley had not returned yet.
"Where did Hayley run off to?" Giuliana asked him.
"My guess is as good as anyone's," the Original replied with a sigh. "Have you heard from her?"
Giuliana shook her head with a frown. "No. That's what worried me."
"She will be alright." He was positive that Hayley would be able to take care of herself, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still anxious about her running off in such a hurry.
"I know." She smiled warmly at him and sat on a boulder.
"You never told me that your mother lost a child." Elijah's soft voice almost went unnoticed, but at the mention of her mother, Giuliana let out a deep sigh.
"A lot of people don't know," she told him. "It's still hard to talk about sometimes, but losing babies was a common thing that happened. I guess that's why I'm so worried about Hayley."
Elijah turned himself to face her, his eyes glancing over her very somber expression. He wished he'd never brought it up again, but he felt at ease that she was talking about it and not pushing her emotions aside. He knelt down in front of her and took the hand that was resting upon her faded jeans. Her skin was stained with dried blood and dirt from the previous explosion, but he held it tightly.
"No harm will come to that child. Not as long as we are here to protect her." He spoke softly and Giuliana nodded firmly. She placed her free hand on top of the hand that was cradling hers and smiled at the Original.
"I will do anything to protect Hayley and her child; I want them both to be safe." She looked down at their joined hands. Hers looked so small compared to his. "I don't want to fail them or you."
Elijah lightly shushed her, shaking his head and when she stopped talking, he locked gazes with hers. "You could never fail me, Giuliana."
Her green orbs shone with slight fear, but Elijah's calming voice brought her from the shadows and into the light. He always managed to restore her faith and confidence within herself. All he had to do was say some words and the storm inside her would always be calmed. She took a deep breath and nodded, the smallest smile spreading along her lips.
The sound of approaching footsteps made them both rise and untangle their hands, anxious to see who else needed help in the encampment, but they were pleasantly surprised to see Jackson coming to meet them. He motioned for them to walk with him, which they did and found themselves in a more crowded area of the camp. Huge RVs were lined up alongside each other and many of the wolves were congregated there.
"I can't thank you two enough for your help." The Alpha started. "It really means a lot to me and the pack."
"Is there anything else we can do, Jackson?" Giuliana asked him.
"As for now, I think we're okay." He told the pair, but Elijah was hardly listening. Instead, his watchful gaze was passing over the land, scouring for more signs of threats and he was not alone. The men of the pack were stationed around the perimeter of the encampment, keeping an eye on any newcomers who would wander into the bayou. The Original had an inkling that whoever attacked the bayou was not finished yet.
"It's a good thing that bomb went off where it did," Jackson said and Elijah turned back to the Alpha. "Could've been a lot worse. We all could've got killed."
"Unless..." Elijah grew extremely tense and panic gripped him when he noticed a bomb planted to a nearby RV. This horror show was far from over. "Get everyone out of here!"
"Elijah?" Giuliana gaped.
"Now!" He ordered.
Suddenly, multiple explosions went off in the bayou. Bomb blasts rocked RVs, tipping them over and blasted bodies through the air. Jackson and Giuliana dived out of the way, taking some newly injured wolves with them while Elijah began tending to the damage that was done. Shacks and huts collapsed, trapping frantic families inside. The smoke cleared and Jackson nearly wanted to scream at the number of still bodies on the floor. Limbs had been blown off, skin was burned, and the grounds of the bayou were running red with the blood of the pack.
"Oh my God!" Giuliana cried.
"Get the newly injured to safety!" Jackson ordered. Chaos was once again running rampant in the bayou, but this time, it was much worse. Giuliana ran to a female wolf, kneeling by her body and checking her pulse, but she frowned when she didn't feel a pulse.
"She's gone," she whispered quietly and closed the wolf's eyes with her hand.
"Help! Somebody help!" Oliver shouted. He was kneeling next to Eve who was pinned underneath and overturned RV. Giuliana and Jackson stopped what they were doing and rushed to him. All three of them tried to lift the RV, but even with the strength of other wolves, it was too heavy to lift.
"You're gonna be okay, Eve! We'll get you out!" Giuliana assured her. They heaved and pushed again, allowing Eve some more space to crawl out, but the way she wriggled around suggested that her injuries were much worse than they thought. A sudden push came from beside her and she looked to see Elijah helping to lift the RV with his vampire strength. With the men manning the trailer, Giuliana bent down and reached for Eve's hands which were outstretched. She very carefully pulled her out, making sure to not injure her even more and passed her to a few of the wolves who were tending to the pack.
A frequent beeping sound made them all turn once the RV was placed down on the ground and they panicked seeing yet another bomb strapped to the trailer. While the wolves turned to run, Giuliana took a step forward, but a wave of dizziness knocked her to the dirt. Her magic was running low and it was wreaking havoc on her body. Blood Magic constantly had to be recharged and when too much was used, it only meant trouble for the witch with that power. The beeping from the bomb continued and she tried to crawl away, but her limbs were so weak that she collapsed on the ground. She heard people shouting for her to get up, but they grew muffled and all she could hear was the explosion that boomed in her ears.
She collided with something hard, no doubt a piece of the RV had smashed into her head and she felt burns up and down her side. The skin was definitely ripped open and blood flowed from a deep wound. Her body ached and her ears rang from the sound of the explosion. The witch hadn't realized that she clenched her eyes shut to prepare for death to greet her, but upon opening them, she was met with the warm brown eyes of her savior.
"Elijah," she gasped. The Original set her down on her feet, resting her back against a tree.
"Are you alright?" His question made her look around at the encampment and she nodded numbly. They heard more shouts from Oliver down the hill and Elijah took her hand, leading her there.
Jackson and Oliver were able to carry Eve into her own shack which hadn't been damaged by the blasts and they laid her down on her bed. She was still conscious, but she was in a lot of pain. She held her side where the RV had crushed her and she could feel warm blood soaking her clothes. Elijah and Giuliana rushed inside and the latter tried to pull Eve's hand away from her wound.
"Ah! No! No!" She groaned and Giuliana sat beside her.
"Eve, you have to let me see it," she pleaded. Eve hesitantly removed her hand and Giuliana peered up at Elijah in worry.
"That wound should be healing by now." The Original informed the two wolves.
"She never killed anyone, never activated the werewolf gene. So, she can't heal, not like us." Oliver said.
"My blood, it could heal her," Elijah suggested.
"Vampire blood? Trust me, she'd rather die." The wolf growled.
"And she will if you don't do something." Giuliana fought and pushed him aside. "Move, so I can work."
The witch pulled up Eve's shirt to expose the damage and she had to swallow her gasps. It was a gruesome wound that tore through skin and muscle, plus the wolfsbane only added insult to injury. The men stepped aside and let the witch work, hoping that magic would be able to at least stop the bleeding and close the wound.
"Look, we can't just let them get away with this." Oliver spoke.
"We don't even know who's to blame." Jackson told him.
"The hell we don't! And if we don't fight back, they'll just do it again!" He hissed.
Giuliana got to her feet and whirled around on Jackson and Oliver. "You boys can fight about this till you're both blue in the face, but for now, you two can take it outside!"
"You're ordering us around?" Oliver spat. "Jackson's the Alpha and—"
"You want Eve to live?" She asked and he went quiet. "Then I need to concentrate on my magic. So, get out."
Jackson bowed his head without question and patted a whimpering Eve on her shoulder. Oliver held Giuliana's hard stare before following Jackson outside. Elijah turned to leave, but Giuliana took his hand and led him to Eve's side.
"You can stay." She told him and sat by the bed. "But, I'll need to recharge my magic before I can work on Eve."
"What do you need me to do?" He asked and sat down.
"I need to pull energy from your blood. Only if you'll let me, of course." She held out her hands and Elijah placed his hands in hers.
"Whatever you have to do. Do it." He instructed and she nodded. Her eyes fell closed and she murmured her spell. Elijah felt the smallest of prick along the undersides of his wrists and he felt the blood being pulled from his veins. It was like he was being fed from, but the skin on his wrists bared no marks or blood. She absorbed his blood for a few minutes before letting go and she smiled to him.
"Thank you." Giuliana then turned herself to care for Eve. Her hands pressed lightly into her skin and Eve squirmed feeling the heat of the magic against her. "You're going to be alright. I promise."
"Hi."
Audrey's gaze snapped up from her careful analysis of one of the stone angels to see Cami standing beside her. The Blood Witch had come into the empty chapel to clear her mind, but peace and quiet were the last things she received. Bastiana's proposition nagged at her, demanding to be heard, while Klaus' distrust in her haunted her like a weary ghost. When she and Klaus were together in the 1920s, there was no baby mama or baby drama to stand in their way. Did they have their fights? Of course, but now that Audrey was thinking about it, Klaus would always question her allegiance and loyalty to the family. She knew his unwillingness to trust others came from his past, but how many times could she reassure him that she loved him and would remain an ally to him? The baby plot certainly put a wrench in things and it deeply hurt Audrey that Bastiana would fill her thoughts of killing the baby. It hurt even more that Klaus would pin the bayou explosions on her.
When Audrey didn't reply, Cami took it upon herself to slowly slide into the pew and sit down. She spent the time upstairs with her uncle who had chosen death as opposed to turning into a vampire. While she didn't blame him, she would miss her Uncle Kieran a lot. Cami rubbed her hands on her jeans a couple of times, glancing sideways at the witch to gauge her in conversation, but she was too lost in her own thoughts.
"Listen, I wanted to apologize for not trusting you before." The blonde stated which caused Audrey to look up. "It was a witch who hexed my uncle and I was skeptical of more witches coming near him. I judged you and I'm sorry."
Only one corner of Audrey's lips pulled in a tiny smile. Cami was a sweet girl and loved her family fiercely. "I accept."
"And I want to thank you for helping my uncle," she added.
"I wish I could have done more." The witch sighed and massaged her aching hands. Ever since Bastiana touched them in the vision, they burned and ached terribly. "But, as you can see," Audrey held out her hands to Cami, showing her the marks from the hex. "I am fighting my own battles."
The blonde gaped at the scarred hands in front of her and she so badly wanted to touch them, but she was worried of causing Audrey more pain. "I am so sorry."
Audrey folded her hands in her lap neatly. "I hope I didn't scare you too much when I threw Klaus out that window. He just made me so angry."
"I can tell," Cami said and she saw Audrey frown.
"I hate when he goes on those kicks. You know, about him not trusting me. It's getting really old and overplayed." She grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Klaus has trust issues because of—"
"His father. I know." Audrey interrupted as kindly as possible.
"You stepped in the way of that stake to save Klaus' life." She recalled the story Klaus had told her a while back.
"Yeah, and even after all of that, Klaus still doesn't trust me." The witch huffed. "I had a rough life growing up with my father and he knows that. For a while, I didn't trust anyone at all, but...I met Klaus and...I put my trust in him."
Cami's eyebrows creased and she tilted her head. "Klaus told me about your father."
"Of course he did. I figured as much. Such a gossip. Always willing to tell the stories of others, but I can guarantee, he didn't do mine any justice." Audrey knew she should have buttoned her lips when she had the chance, but her past was spilling out of her like boiling lava. "My mother died when I was six and I never had any siblings. My father was a highly respected member of our coven. He was a great leader, but that didn't make him a great father. For twelve years, I took every beating, every snide remark, every bit of anger he held inside him. I took it all."
The witch's hands shook as she retold her story. She'd grown to hate her father with every fiber of her being. He'd leave marks and bruises for weeks and he'd even break bones on the nights he got really angry. She was too young to understand why he was treating her that way, but as she grew older, she knew that he couldn't handle the death of his wife. There were times she'd fight back, but the punishment would be much worse than the beating he originally laid out for her, so she learned to just lie there and take it. Only when she was broken, bruised, and bloodied in her room would she cry into the night and beg for someone to take her away from the madness.
"What about your coven?" Cami asked. "Couldn't they protect you?"
"I thought they would." She cleared her throat. "But when I spoke to some of the elders in the coven, they protected my father."
Cami's fists clenched at her sides. "They protected him?! He beat his little girl and they defended him?!"
Audrey nodded. "Sad, isn't it?"
"Despicable is more like it." She had to stop herself from shaking with anger. "Well, you clearly managed to get away from him or else you wouldn't be here."
"Now you're getting to the good part," the witch said. "Now, I was never allowed to practice my magic, but little did I know, my powers had grown exponentially. One night, when I was sixteen, I told my father that I was going to leave. Well...he didn't like that at all. We fought with words, but those turned to blows quickly. I was tired of the abuse and I was tired of doing nothing. I felt this beast growing inside me and I couldn't keep it caged anymore. My powers took over me, radiating through every part of me until I could no longer feel the skin on my body. All I felt was energy and power surging through me. I...I didn't mean to do it, but I...killed him. My magic exploded like a pressure cooker and with that much power radiating from me, I set fire to my own house. It was too late before I realized what I had done and I couldn't stop it."
"Your magic overloaded you?" She asked and Audrey nodded her head. "But that wasn't your fault. You couldn't control your powers especially not being able to practice magic."
Audrey took a deep breath and continued with her story. "I begged and pleaded with my coven, trying to explain to them that it was an accident, but they all turned their backs on me. They banished me from the coven and told me to never return. So, I left with just the clothes on my shoulders and never looked back."
"So, you came to New Orleans of all places?"
"I did what anyone would have done; I started over." A warm smile graced the witch's lips. "It took a couple of years, but I was able to build myself back up. I was able to live again. And then I met him."
"Klaus?"
Audrey smiled warmly. "He was so different from anyone I had met. I didn't want to fall for him, but I did."
In a million years, Cami thought that she would never ever hear anyone speak so fondly of Klaus and it sounded odd to her ears. Klaus had never struck her as the kind of man who would be in a relationship, but it seemed like something between him and Audrey clicked.
"That's why I got so angry before when he accused me of knowing something about the incident in the bayou." The witch admitted. "Why would I even think of doing something like that?"
Cami was ready to answer her when both girls heard a thumping sound from that attic. Their stares locked and the hairs on Audrey's neck rose when her magic picked up the energy of a vampire roaming upstairs. Since no one was allowed in or out of the church, Audrey could only assume that Father Kieran drank the blood bag that Klaus had brought for him in case he wanted to change his mind about turning. It looked like he did in fact change his mind and it would be dangerous for anyone to be around him now. She stood, faced the doors of the church, and waved her hands. The air in the chapel shifted and Cami peered curiously at the witch.
"I put the spell down that stops people from getting in or out." She informed. "Get out of here before things get ugly."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that, your uncle is now a vampire and a very hungry one at that."
Cami's blue eyes grew incredibly wide. "What are you talking about?!"
"Get out of here." Audrey shooed her towards the doors. "He'll hurt you without meaning to."
The blonde's trembling hand reached for the knob, but her fingers were blocked from grasping it. She tried again and again, and so did Audrey, but the door would not allow itself to be touched. The witch banged her fists on the invisible barrier and grunted lowly.
"Bastiana..." A hiss left her throat.
"What do we do now?" Cami asked. A whistling sound echoed off the walls of the church and before she knew it, Audrey had thrown her to the floor and pushed her behind the rows of pews. Cami was about to retort, but Audrey clamped a hand over her mouth and jerked her head in the direction of the doors again. The blonde gasped, albeit a muffled one, at the sight of a sharp dagger that was embedded in the wood. The witch motioned for her not to speak when she removed her hand from Cami's mouth and she quickly peeked around the edge of the pew to see that Father Kieran was mumbling to himself. No doubt he was speaking to Bastiana and Audrey took the chance to focus on the knife he'd thrown at them. Before their eyes, the hilt and dagger melted into a puddle of blood that materialized on the floor and Audrey placed a hand on the ground. The magic soaked up the blood and Cami watched in awe as the dagger returned to its solid state.
"Take this and run when I tell you." Her voice was a firm whisper as she handed the knife to Cami who took it without so much as a squeak.
"Don't fight it, Cami!" Her uncle shouted. "In death, we are whole again!"
Audrey leapt up and kept her arms outstretched towards the priest. His body bowed and he called out in agony. The witch felt her magic faltering, but she pushed hard against the hex that was keeping her captive. She had to hold out for as long as possible if she and Cami wanted to escape with their lives.
"Go, Cami!" She spoke and the blonde ran like her life depended on it. Father Kieran lunged for his niece, but Audrey's magic brought him to his knees in pain.
"Leave her alone, Father!" She warned. The priest's back rose and fell with each harsh breath that entered and exited his lungs. Once again, he began to chant words from his sermons to himself, clutching the crucifix that hung around his neck. Ever so slowly, he lifted his head to show his face which was covered in blood, but Audrey drew back seeing a face that she hadn't seen in forever.
"Father...?" Audrey's eyes welled with fear seeing the worn and bloodied face of her own father. The man that died by her hands all those years ago was staring back at her with the same green eyes she had. His jet black hair, a trait she'd also received from him, was messy strewn atop his head and he gave her a wide, evil grin.
"No," she shook her head as if trying to shake his face from her mind. She blinked quickly and she was then looking back at Father Kieran which brought her relief and fear simultaneously.
"Where is my niece?" He asked her.
"I won't let you hurt her." Audrey growled.
"She needs to repent for her sins just as I have done."
The witch's hands burned painfully from the hex, but at the same time, she could feel her stunted magic bubbling below the surface. She clenched her fingers, shooting more energy to the priest, but the use of her magic came at a great price as an electric charge shot up her spine. She called out, nearly falling to her knees, but she braced herself on the pew beside her.
"If only your father could see what you've become." Bastiana's taunting voice made Audrey roll her eyes. Her form appeared behind Father Kieran and she looked upon him. "He'd be so disappointed."
"Let the priest go, Bastiana! You have no business tormenting him!" She gritted.
"Like I said before, his mind is already tainted. I am just allowing his nightmares to expand. His nephew killed those altar boys; spilled blood in this sacred place," the witch stated.
Audrey clenched her teeth harshly to retort, but she swallowed her words as quickly as they formed on her tongue. There was no way that she could defeat both entities with her magic on lockdown. Bastiana was still a force to be reckoned with, even in death, while Father Kieran was a newly turned vampire and was thirsty for fresh blood. The witch knew a way to get more power, but it would be a stretch that it would even work. Bastiana had spoken of the altar boys that were brutally murdered in the church, each of them stabbed and gutted. Their spilled blood left energy in the earth that Audrey could draw on. Closing her eyes, she held out her hands with her palms to the floor. She focused on pulling the energy from the blood and bringing it into her. It started off slowly, but her palms grew warm with the power that was coming from the earth. Bastiana's face fell seeing what the young witch was doing and she had all intentions to stop her before she became too powerful.
"Father, kill her." Her words immediately set off the priest and he flew for Audrey. He tackled her down to the ground, cutting off the source to her magic and smashing her body against the marble floor. Audrey's eyes remained closed and she didn't flinch as the priest leaned down to chomp on her neck. His breath was hot on her skin, but his fangs never broke her throat. He was thrown off the witch and he crashed into a set of pews. With a loud hiss and growl, he got to his feet and kicked the shattered pieces of wood aside.
Audrey rose to stand with her head bowed, a shadow cast over her face. Father Kieran bared his fangs, daring the witch to make her first move and that only made her smirk widely. Slowly, she lifted her head and the priest was terrified to see the whites and pupils of her eyes had turned black. With a confident grin, she whispered something in a foreign language and the candles that were perched on stands all lit up. A gust of wind blew through the church and Audrey's smirk grew wider.
"Klaus! Klaus, please pick up!" Cami begged desperately into her phone that was pressed tightly against her ear. She locked herself upstairs in the attic and barricaded the door with her uncle's cot, a dresser and any other heavy objects she could find. She tried to pry the planks off of the windows, but they were nailed firmly in place on the window pane.
A struggle could be heard from downstairs and Cami paced nervously in the room with the dagger clutched tightly in her hands. She dialed up Klaus' number again and it went to voicemail which made her groan aloud and throw the phone across the room. Her hands fisted her hair and she had to stop herself from crawling in the corner of the room and sobbing like a child. She'd never been so scared in her entire like and she wished that she could close her eyes and make everything disappear.
"Cami," Klaus' voice made her jump, but she quickly composed herself to tell him what was happening.
"My uncle completed his transition and now he and Audrey are fighting in the church. I don't know what's going on, she just told me to run." She babbled while holding the knife in her hand.
Klaus' head turned at the sound of Father Kieran's shrill scream and he tore the numerous objects that blocked the door. He kicked the knob off, pushed the door open and warned Cami to stay in the room until he returned. Her squeak of a reply led onto the fact that she would listen to him and he marched down the steps into the chapel.
The scene that came into view was a gruesome one. Audrey, with black, glassy eyes had Father Kieran in a blood purge spell. He was keeled over, hot blood spewing from his mouth and retching from his insides. The smell of decaying flesh saturated the air and would make anyone sick to their stomachs. In between heaves, he was begging her to stop and show him mercy, but she ignored him without so much as a bat of an eyelash. Audrey was murmuring spells under her breath, each one making the priest vomit another large mouthful of blood and in Klaus' eyes, she looked as if she was enjoying this.
"Please!" Father Kieran moaned with hot tears in his eyes. "Make it stop!"
"With pleasure." Audrey purred and lowered her hands to her sides. The purging stopped and the priest took in a few deep breaths while poised on his hands and knees. Klaus had thought the worst of this nightmare was over, but he watched as Father Kieran's eyes grew wide and he probed his body with his hands.
"W-what are you doing t-to me?" He hushed as he felt his skin growing warmer.
"Making it all stop." The witch replied and Kieran called out as the remnants of flames bubbled beneath his melting skin.
"No," Klaus hissed and rushed between the two of them. He knew that Audrey was going to finish Kieran off by using a spell he'd seen done before. It was when the victim's blood would boil, melt their insides which would burn and the fire from within them would consume their entire body from the inside out. Most bodies would simply explode from the amount of heat, but others were left to wail and scream as their organs and muscles charred with no way to quench them. It could only be described as if Satan had unleashed his wrath upon the world. The spell was called Hellfire and it left no survivors.
In one swift motion, Klaus swooped in and tore Kieran's heart from his chest. Without a body to burn, Audrey's spell would be deactivated and she would hopefully come out of her hypnotic trance. He tossed the heart to the floor and Audrey's form crumpled. Her eyes fell closed and Klaus managed to catch her limp body in his arms before she cracked her head open on the marble below them. He tried to shake her awake, but she was out cold and thankfully breathing. Klaus scooped her up in his arms and looked upon the blood that had covered most of the altar along with Kieran's lifeless body. He was unsure of how Cami would react to all of this, so he decided that it would be better to take both women to the compound where they could rest from their trying ordeals in peace.
"Ow, ouch," Giuliana muttered as she peeled off her shirt from her body. Some pieces of it had melted and stuck to her skin, so she was practically gnashing her teeth together as the fabric pulled at her wound. She had spent the remainder of the night with Eve and after taking some energy from Elijah to fuel her magic, Eve was on the road to recovery. Her injuries were more internal than external, but Giuliana was confident that she would heal up nicely after a couple days of rest.
Now, she had her own wound to worry about it. Jackson had showed her to a hut where she could clean herself up and she was now peering at her dirty, bloodied reflection. She knew it had happened when Elijah whisked her away just as the bomb exploded and the intense heat charred her skin. She didn't bring attention to it when it had occurred simply because there were more wolves that still needed care and because she did not want to alarm anyone, especially Elijah. Very carefully, she used a scissor to cut away the rest of the shirt and discarded the pieces. Thankfully, her bra was still in one piece, she thought to herself. She examined her body in the mirror and hovered her hands over the wound. Her magic stirred, but was quickly shorted. She sighed deeply and tried again, but her magic had been over expended like she had thought.
The witch had taken it upon herself to empty the drawers in the dresser and was able to find some gauze and bandages, but she found herself wondering how she would be able to wrap the wound with only two hands. She needed an extra pair of hands, but she couldn't ask the other wolves since many were injured or helping the injured. Jackson and Hayley were with the wolves and there was no one in hell she was going to ask Oliver to help her. She'd rather claw her eyes out.
Just when she thought she'd have to struggle on her own, Elijah opened up the door to the shack. She faced him with only a bra covering her upper body and she swore she saw him blush. For a few moments, he stood frozen still at the door, completely silent, but he managed to find some words to say.
"My apologies."
"No, please, come in." She beckoned him and crossed her arms over her chest to try and cover herself, but she was only certain that only brought more attention to her breasts. "I need a favor to ask of you."
"Yes?"
Giuliana held out the gauze and bandages to him. The Original took the items in his hands, examining them as if he'd never seen them before.
"My magic is running on empty and I need you to bandage this." She showed him her side which sparked a fire in his eyes that no one could miss.
"I would rather give you vampire blood; you'd heal much quicker," he suggested.
"And I would rather bandage it now and heal it properly when my magic is back to normal." She argued and tapped her foot impatiently until he agreed with her. Wordlessly, she stood with her back to him and the Original grinned to himself before getting to work.
Elijah lightly pressed the gauze to Giuliana's side, earning a soft whimper from her, but she urged him to continue. He thickly packed the wound, making sure that all visible signs of burned skin were covered before reaching for the bandages. He handed the end to Giuliana and she held it there securely just beneath her breasts. With careful precision and deft hands, he began wrapping her entire torso and layering the new bandaging over the previously laid layers.
"Is this too tight?" By his assumption, the bandage felt snug, but he didn't want it to be too constricting.
"It's fine." She assured him with a gentle voice and watched how attentive he was to the bandage. He ensured that the wrappings were perfectly laid and if they were not, he'd do it over again. He was so focused on his work that he almost didn't feel her eyes on him, but how could he not sense them when they had such a hold over him. When he finished the bandage, Giuliana tucked in her piece while Elijah did the same with his, neatly fastening the end, so that his hard work wouldn't come undone. Giuliana smoothed down the front of the wrapping and slowly stood, examining his job in the mirror. The way he wrapped her waist looked like she was wearing a corset and she smiled her thanks.
"Look at the nice job you did, meanwhile you wanted to feed me vampire blood."
The Original grinned at her jab and placed the extra bandaging aside. "I'd still rather feed you my blood. A wound of that size could become infected."
"But I'd rather you play doctor and take care of me." She giggled and Elijah's eyebrows rose at her brazen remark.
"Are you intoxicated?"
"Yup." She looked around for her jar that she was drinking out of earlier and showed it to him. "Jackson saw my wound and gave this to me to use."
Elijah took the jar from her and held it below his nose. He didn't even need to take a whiff the liquid was so potent. The smell was so strong even for his heightened sense of smell.
"Moonshine," he concluded.
Giuliana nodded and reached back for the bottle. "Jackson was right. It's good stuff."
"He meant for you to use it on the wound." He told her and her eyes narrowed.
"Huh?"
"The concentration of alcohol in Moonshine is so high that it acts as an antiseptic. It kills the bacteria that can cause infection when placed on an open wound. That's why Jackson gave it to you," he explained.
The witch squinted her eyes at the liquid in the bottle and shrugged. "Oh. Whoops?"
"I guess it has served its purpose," he said and she nodded while placing down the jar. Her gaze lingered on his still disheveled form and could only imagine that she looked the same way. The bombing in the bayou could have meant death for her, especially because she was a witch. Elijah risked his life to pull her away from that almost blew her to pieces.
"I never said thank you for what you did earlier." She spoke. "I wouldn't be standing here if you didn't pull me away. So, thank you."
"You're welcome." He smiled at her fondly, but it melted away slowly. "May I be honest with you?"
His question caught her off guard, but she turned to face him, giving him her complete attention. "Of course."
The Original stepped forward, closing the space between them and he took notice at the rise in her heartbeat. "In those final seconds before the bomb exploded, I can't recall a time in my thousand years of life where I have ever been so...frightened. I know that you are capable of taking care of yourself, but there is and always will be a part of me that worries for your safety. If you had perished today, I would never be able to forgive myself."
Giuliana swallowed her swelling heart which seemed to be jumping up into her throat and she blinked down at her feet before looking up at him. He was so close to her that she could feel the warmth from his skin and the ghosting of his breath upon her cheeks. She'd never seen a side of Elijah where he was so vulnerable. He'd just bared his soul to her and allowed his tightly leashed thoughts to run free. Maybe it was the Moonshine she drank, or perhaps it was the way his eyes darkened when he spoke about being frightened of losing her, whatever it was, Giuliana had never felt so drawn to another person in the universe.
Her speechlessness only added to his growing doubt that she didn't feel the same way, but he hardly showed her that. Today, he was truly and genuinely terrified of losing someone who had brought him so much joy while being in New Orleans. The Original could not even think of a person who had made him feel this unhinged, so out of control. Elijah leaned up to press his lips to her forehead and as he pulled away, he noticed her eyes had fallen closed, but quickly opened not feeling his presence so close to her. Again, she said nothing and he took that as a sign to leave her be.
"Elijah." He'd gotten halfway to the door of the hut when she called his name and he waited patiently after turning to face her. Before he knew it, she had rushed towards him, cradled his face and kissed him.
After months of holding their emotions in, their lingering stares, and soft touches, they finally gave into their desires with reckless abandon. Elijah was caught completely by surprise, but he didn't miss a beat as her lips moved feverishly against his. He kissed her back, molding his lips to grasp and caress her own. Her hands dropped to his shoulders, sliding along his chest and toying with the holes in his torn shirt. Elijah cupped the back of her neck and the other held her cheek, his thumb sliding over her warm skin. He would have circled her waist to bring her closer, but he didn't want to aggravate her burned sides. His lips nipped at her bottom one and Giuliana whimpered softly into his mouth.
"Giuliana, there's something I—oh!" The pair broke apart and distanced themselves from one another at Hayley's disgruntled expression as she stood in the doorway. Giuliana covered the blush in her cheeks with her hands while Elijah cleared his throat and looked down at his feet.
"H-Hayley...uhm..." Giuliana stammered and walked to meet her. "Is everything alright."
The pregnant wolf shook her head and Elijah and Giuliana were able to see that she had been crying. "Eve is dead."
A somber silence engulfed the room aside from Hayley's sniffles and Giuliana immediately wrapped her arms comfortingly around her friend. Elijah took his leave to see what Jackson and Oliver wanted to do with Eve's body while Giuliana assured Hayley that Eve's death would not be in vain. Death had come into the bayou and taken so many lives, that the Crescent wolves were unsure if they could pick up the pieces, but they all knew that the following day would bring the promise of starting anew.
Hello everyone! Here is the newest chapter! Getting closer and closer to the finale for both stories! Ah! I hope all of you enjoyed this update and please leave a review! Let's get this story to the end, so that I can continue with the new stories ASAP!
Please give some love to my beta, PrincessOfSilence. This chapter was almost 14,000 words and she totally worked her amazing magic. I absolutely love her and could not have taken on these stories without her.
Marceltheshellwithshoeson: Hi there! Thanks so much for reviewing! I can't wait for Baby Salvatore to come! She will absolutely have her father wrapped around her finger :)
xJenzaFreakx: Hello dear! Such a pleasure to hear from you again! Thank you SO much for your continued support with my stories. You are awesome! Meh, people are entitled to their own opinion, but when they are rude and inconsiderate to others – I don't tolerate it. I hope you enjoyed this update and I will talk to you soon :)
NicoleR85: The guys on both shows are the perfect eye candy ;) I don't think I could stop watching because of them haha! Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this update!
CarlyLynn: Thank you for reviewing as always :) So glad that you're enjoying my story and I hope that you liked reading this new chapter!
VampirePrincess11: Ahhh yes! Baby Salvatore is coming very, very soon! I cannot wait for my readers to meet her! Thanks so much for reviewing!
Shining Ruby: Thank you so much for reviewing! Believe it or not, we have a name picked out for Baby Salvatore and I can't wait for her to come into the story. I really hope that everyone will love her :)
binks13: Hey gorgeous! How's that for conflict? Hehe ;) There will be more to come between Klaus and Audrey since she has not yet finished giving him a piece of her mind. Aww, I am sorry that you don't watch TVD, but I hope my story kinda fills the void and is easier to read than TVD is to watch LOL! I really loved having Daniel Sharman on the show and I wish he was there for a bit longer! I am happy that you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you enjoyed this update! Talk to you soon :)
Guest12345: Thanks! And thank you for reviewing :)
elisesellas: Hello, my dear! Always lovely to hear from you! Enzo and Damon have a lot of history together, so I wanted to illustrate that through my writing and I certainly hope that I did it justice. Thankfully Cass and the baby are fine, but that doesn't mean that they aren't out of danger yet ;) That's all I'll say for now as far as they next two TVD chapters are concerned. Thank you so, so much for your continued support with my stories and your contagious positivity!
Thankfully it has stopped snowing here in NY and it has been in the upper 40s and 50s this week which is melting the snow which makes me SO happy! Hope all is well with you and I will talk to you soon!
SomebodyWhoCares: HAHA! I don't think anyone is volunteering to give Enzo a hug especially after the stunt he just pulled. Thanks for reviewing!
twin of a sister: Hi girly! Here is your long awaited update since you were one of the first to know that this chapter was out being edited. I hope that it met all of your expectations ;) Thank you for reviewing as always – you rock my socks! Cassandra and her baby are not out of the woods yet and will come across a new enemy who will be making themselves known soon. I will talk to you soon, girl and I hope you're doing well :)
Harshita94: Thanks so much for reviewing! Yeah, we are getting super close to the season finale and the drama will only continue to escalate ;) Cassandra and Damon are my OTP too hehe. I hope you liked reading this update :)
Kim: Hi Kim! I am so glad you enjoyed this episode and thank you so much for reviewing! I believe that there is good in Enzo, but I feel like it is buried under years of hate, rage and he's got some abandonment issues too. I hope he eventually finds his way, but until then, he's gonna be a royal pain in the butt LOL!
Guest: Thank you so much for reviewing! Yes, one more month to go! Ah, it is so close! No news about a shower/nursery yet for Cassandra, but Baby Salvatore does have a name! WOO HOO! All of that will be revealed soon ;)
grapejuice101: Thanks so much for reviewing! Ah, now I get what you mean! Thanks for clarifying that ;) Hope you enjoyed this update!
Karen G: Once again, your rudeness astounds me.
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! There will be a big twist in the finale, but you'll have to wait to see what it is ;)