CHAPTER 19 – THE BETRAYAL
When Rhiannon woke up the next morning, she was confused for a while but then the events of the last night came flooding back making her smile lazily as she stretched her sore limbs out.
"Good morning love," she heard Elijah mumble in a raspy morning voice making her finally open her eyes to see him, laying right beside her in all his glory, watching her.
"Good morning," she muttered happily and snuggled against his chest.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked tracing random patterns on her shoulders with his thumb.
"Like a baby," she said and climbed on top of him to get her kiss. He held her there, deepening the kiss. The mood was however interrupted by a loud churn coming from Rhiannon's stomach, making them both chuckle.
"Looks like somebody's hungry," Elijah murmured kissing her forehead lightly. "What do you feel like eating?"
"Hmm, I don't know, and omelet sounds pretty good, what do you think?" Rhiannon said trying to get off of his lap, but he didn't feel like letting her go. He grabbed her by her shoulders playfully and pulled her in for another kiss.
"Sounds amazing," he whispered after kissing her almost senseless and he finally let her go. "Why don't you take a shower and I'll get that started for you."
"And who are you gonna compel to do that?" she joked running away towards where she assumed the bathroom was.
"How dare you," he growled playfully chasing after her and catching her second before she could lock herself in a bathroom and pinning her against the wall. She smirked at him devilishly, the veins under her eyes darkening for a second. She's perfection, he thought to himself before he whisked her up making her cross her legs around his waist, still holding her against the wall. He leaned in brushing his lips against her collarbone making breath hitch in her throat and kissed her neck chastely just below her jaw line. Then he let go of her and started towards door making her snort inelegantly at him, muttering: "Tease."
"That's what you get for mocking my culinary skills," he joked before she closed the bathroom door behind her.
After Rhiannon got out of shower she realized that besides her ball gown, she doesn't have any other clothes here. Elijah probably realized that as well because when she came back to the room, laid out on the bed was a black V-neck cotton T-shirt and a pair of very luxurious looking boxers. She couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness as she put on his clothes and set out to find the kitchen. She had no idea where it was so she used her supernatural hearing abilities to look for familiar voice. Soon she heard him, moving about the kitchen listening and humming to some jazz music. She followed his voice as well as the delicious smell that was starting to spread throughout the house.
Elijah was whisking eggs to add into the pan, humming contently, throwing the whisk into the sink with his typical grace.
"Do I want to know what's gotten you in such a great mood this morning?" Klaus asked from the door, giving his older brother an amused look.
"That's none of your business Niklaus," Elijah retorted but without the usual strain in his voice that would suggest his brother crossed some sort of a line which only added to Klaus' confusion. That was cleared out very quickly as Rhiannon walked in, muttering "morning" while blushing wildly.
"I wasn't aware you're still with us love," Klaus teased making Elijah shot him a warning look. He was in a good mood but that didn't mean he was going to tolerate any foolishness from his brother.
"Well seeing as you were preoccupied pining over Caroline, I can hardly blame you," Rhiannon teased back, effectively shutting Klaus up on the matter, making him smirk appreciatively. Elijah couldn't help but snicker as he continued his cooking. He should have known that Rhiannon wouldn't take any bullshit from any of his siblings.
"Nice," Kol hollered appreciatively from behind Rhiannon. "I knew I liked you for a reason."
"You are a feisty little wolf," Klaus retorted. "No wonder my brother adores you so."
"Well thanks," Rhiannon said brushing past Klaus to sit behind the kitchen island and watch Elijah work in the kitchen. She couldn't help but appreciate the elegance behind his moves which wasn't the least bit diminished by the fact that he was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt and something that could be described as a very fancy looking sweatpants.
"Mind if we join you for the breakfast," Klaus asked sitting across from Rhiannon.
"Not at all," Elijah said after looking at Rhiannon who just shrugged and sipped at her coffee.
"So do you want to hear some embarrassing stories about Elijah?" Kol asked dodging a kitchen towel Elijah threw at him. "I've got plenty."
"Hey Elijah," Rhiannon said into her phone walking towards her car.
"Darling, everything alright?" he asked.
"Yea, I just wanted you to know that I sent your car with my stuff back to you," she said getting in. "I can't find my curling iron anywhere though. I think I left it at Salvatore's, so I'm gonna go grab her and I'll be right there."
"Alright," Elijah said. "Do hurry up love; I need to discuss something with you. I think we might have a problem."
"Why can't we have at least few days without any supernatural Armageddon on the horizon?" Rhiannon sighed exhausted. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you."
"You should know that Esther's planning on killing her entire family," Rhiannon heard Elena say inside the boarding house making her stop dead in her tracks. "She's linked them all together with a spell. Whatever happens to one, happens to all of them."
"That's great!" Damon retorted with his typical attitude. "Klaus will finally be dead. We win. Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?"
"Because to kill Klaus she has to kill all of them," Elena cried out. "Including Elijah and he doesn't deserve this."
"Am I supposed to care about Elijah?" Damon bit back making Rhiannon's blood boil with white hot rage. She kicked in the door vamp-speeding and shoving Damon into the opposite wall.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" she snarled and blurred across the room before he could recover from the shock and kicked him in the ribs knocking the wind out of him.
"Rhiannon stop it!" Elena pleaded running towards them.
"Shut up Elena!" she snarled at her making her stop dead in her tracks. "I told you Damon that if you cross me once, it wouldn't end up just with a punch." She growled, veins under her eyes darkening as she bared her fangs at him ready to bite his head off but before she could do that Stefan blurred into the room snapping her neck.
Elijah decided to sort some stuff up in the study while he waited for Rhiannon to show up, but those plans were scrapped as he found burnt sage and various artifacts in one of the drawers. He went downstairs just in time to meet with rather disheveled Rebekah just returning from the other night.
"Rebekah," Elijah called out from the door.
"Not you too Elijah," she retorted exasperatedly.
"I'm worried about mother," he said. "Have you not noticed her strange behavior?"
"She's been dead for thousand years, what's strange for her?" she countered.
"Burnt sage," Elijah insisted handing it to Rebekah. "She was doing a privacy spell."
Rebekah looked unsure at first but then dismissed it saying: "You know she fancies such things. Why don't you ask Finn? He's been doting on her."
"I don't trust Finn," Elijah retorted. "He hates what we are, he always has."
"It's not true," Rebekah objected. "And as for mother, she returned for one reason. To make our family whole. She loves us. What trouble are you looking to find?"
"See I would love to believe that," Elijah retorted. "But I knew Elena was lying to me last night. Something's up."
"Alright," Rebekah said. "Let me know what you find out."
"Elena," Elijah greeted the deceitful doppelganger.
"Elijah," she said trying hard to sound normal but not quite succeeding. He could sense she was very nervous.
"I don't mean to intrude," he said. "I was hoping you might accompany me. I want to show you something."
Elijah was pulling up on the spot in the woods where his home used to be once, asking causally: "Have you talked to Rhiannon today?"
"Not really," Elena retorted not looking at him. Another lie. "Why?"
"Just curious," he said. Her uneasiness was growing with every passing moment. "I forgot how much I missed this land."
"I can't even imagine what it must've been like a thousand years ago," Elena pondered.
"You know your school was built over an Indian village?" Elijah asked strolling causally next to Elena. "Where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. As a matter of fact near that was a, there was a field where wild horses used to graze."
"That's incredible," Elena toned.
"Come," he said quickening his strides towards a rocky structure.
"Do you know this place too?" Elena asked.
"I do," he retorted smiling a little. "Below us is a cavern I used to play in as a boy. It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Mother nature's way of providing us with a shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said there must be a balance."
"Elijah I should probably go home," Elena muttered, her heart beating even quicker than before.
"I admire you Elena," he said. "You remind me of qualities I admired long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful," Elijah started pointing his finger towards her. "And yet when I asked about your meeting with my mother you lied to my face."
"That's not true," Elena tried to convince him but to no effect. Her heartbeat had already given her away. "I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start."
"I can hear your heartbeat," Elijah cut her off. Enough with these lies. "It jumps when you're being dishonest. You lied to me at the ball and you're lying to me now. Tell me the truth."
"I never wanted this to happen," Elena muttered backing up slightly.
"What Elena?" Elijah growled.
"We were told that whatever was gonna be in that coffin was gonna kill Klaus," Elena started. "When we found out that it was your mother we didn't know what to think.
"Since her return she only said she wanted her family again," Elijah said.
"When she asked to see me I thought that maybe she could help, that she would find a way to kill Klaus but—" Elena stopped for a while trying to look as sorry as possible. "It's not just Klaus she wants to kill."
"She wants to kill us all doesn't she," Elijah muttered trying hard to contain himself. "She wants to undo the evil she created. Where is Rhiannon?" Elijah asked again.
"Elijah—" Elena started but he was having none of it.
"Elena, I'm going to ask you one last time," Elijah growled. "Where is she?"
"She's in a cellar in Salvatore house," Elena finally elaborated. "She overheard our conversation and went after Damon. She was furious and she was going to bite him so Stefan snapped her neck." Upon hearing that he had to use every last bit of restraint he had left no to rip into the doppelganger's throat. He was livid.
"I'm so sorry Elijah," Elena muttered. "I wish there was something I could do to help."
"You know one thing I've learnt in my time on this Earth is," Elijah deadpanned. "be careful what you wish for," he added stomping hard on the ground creating a hole that led straight to the caverns below. He grabbed Elena and jumped down with her leaving her there.
"Rebekah," Elijah said into his phone. "Our mother is trying to kill us. She's using Bennet witches to do so."
"What?!" his baby sister cried out into her phone. "What are we going to do?!"
"I have Elena trapped in the caverns where we used to play as children," Elijah said. "Go there and keep an eye on her would you? I'm going to make the damned Salvatore boys fix the situation. If they fail, kill her."
He stormed right into the Salvatore boarding house and headed for the cellar where he found Rhiannon laying on the ground, unconscious. My poor Rhiannon. why does she always ends caught up in a cross fire, drugged or with a snapped neck? Elijah thought to himself as he picked her up from the dusty ground and carried her upstairs. He placed her down on the couch and bit his wrist letting his blood drop into her mouth.
"Rhiannon, sweetheart, wake up," he whispered holding her close to him. Soon she regained her consciousness and sprung up all panicked.
"Elijah! Your mother! They want to kill you all!" she cried out.
"I know, darling, I know," he said grabbing her face with his hand to calm her down.
"What are we gonna do?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "We don't have much time."
"Don't worry," Elijah muttered with an edge to his voice. "I've taken care of it."
As if on a cue, Damon walked into the foyer and stopped dead in his tracks soon followed by Stefan.
"Where's Elena?" Damon asked immediately figuring out what was going on.
"She's with Rebekah," Elijah said standing up and walking in front f Rhiannon protectively. "As you can imagine my sister's just dying to tear her throat out. So if you want to save Elena's life I need you to help me stop my mother."
"I'm a little embarrassed to admit," Damon started. "But when it comes to killing thousand years' old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty."
"Yes unfotunatelly even when killed my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead, not with the spirits of nature on her side," Elijah retorted looking over at Rhiannon who only nodded. She felt a little guilty for Elena being in a life threatening situation but it was time to protect her own and to do that she would do anything. It would appear that her friends don't give a damn about her and are hell-bent on killing the man she loves, so that implied they were no longer friends.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Stefan asked stepping forward.
"Witches that released my mother," Elijah started again. "She's drawing her power from their bloodline. That line needs to be broken."
"Broken?" Stefan asked.
"Yea he means—" Damon muttered slitting his throat with his finger to explain what Elijah meant.
"You want us to kill them," Stefan said.
"You know I'd do it myself but I have absolutely no idea where they are," Elijah retorted. "Besides seeing me they'd immediately know my intentions. They wouldn't expect harm from the likes of you."
"In any case," Elijah said turning around and helping Rhiannon stand up. "You have until six minutes after nine to find them."
"Oh how super specific of you," Damon bit back.
"By nine 'o' seven the moon will be full, my mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena," Elijah said walking towards the Salvatore boys, Rhiannon following closely behind him glaring at them.
"So we all have our timeline," Elijah continued walking past them, shoving them out of the way. "I suggest you get started."
"Oh," he said turning around. "Don't ever touch Rhiannon again or I will make you feel things worse than death," he growled placing a hand on the small of her back leading her out of the boarding house.