Chapter 5:
Mari didn't want to leave her room, or to have Kol come to hers. Somehow, without saying anything, she seemed to have gotten her wish. As the hours passed, there was little to no noise outside of the door, and Kol never came for his meal as she expected him to. While she was relieved, she was also somewhat concerned. Klaus had told her to make sure he ate, which meant that Mari should probably suck it up and go to him instead of the other way around. She finally gathered up enough courage, then headed out and down the hall.
"Kol?" She asked softly, hesitating from knocking because she figured her calling him would be enough. Vampires had super hearing after all, from what she knew. Knocking might only irritated him. After a moment of silence, she knocked anyways. The door flung open, and he stood there, eyes dark and dangerous. Mari recoiled a little, taking a frightened step back. "I was just wondering if you were hungry."
"The thing I hunger for you cannot give me," he told her, his words slurred slightly by sleepiness or alcohol, she couldn't really tell which for certain. She looked down at the ground, then glanced up at him under her bangs. He could see the innocence in her face, the naivety, and it was annoying to him in that moment. He stepped out to look around, seeing if any of his siblings were lurking nearby. When he didn't see anyone, he took Mari by the wrist and pulled her inside.
Kol slammed the door, then pushed her back against it, towering over her small figure now. She pressed into the door as far as she could, and the whiskey on his breath was both sweet and bitter. Her breaths were starting to become ragged she became admittedly more afraid of him than she had been before. Of all the siblings, though they were equally dangerous, he was the most unpredictable to her.
"You know I did it, right? Did Klaus tell you that I was the one who murdered Davina?" Kol asked her, his tone taking on something sharp and sinister, which only added to her already through the roof anxiety. He brushed her hair from her face, tilting her head to the side. She squeezed her eyes shut, not sure what else to do. Vampires were so much stronger than humans already, but this family was the strongest of the vampires. She was no match for him, and she knew it. Was it even worth it for her to try and fight him?
"I didn't know." She breathed the words as if she had been holding in her breath since he pulled her into his room. "They didn't... tell me that." All that Klaus said to her was that Kol was in a bad place because he lost the love of his life. When Mari asked what he meant, Klaus told her that Davina passed away, and Kol hadn't recovered since then. She knew nothing else, and she didn't think it was her place to pry. Now, as he said those words to her, she wished she had. Maybe she would have changed her mind and left right then.
"I sank my fangs into her soft throat, and I drained the life from her." He spoke so coldly that she hardly believed him. Klaus made it sounds like Davina was his great love, his one and only. It wouldn't be so easy to speak so cruelly about someone he loved that dearly and lost that suddenly.
"Why?" She wondered, hoping there was some good, reasonable explanation for all of it. Kol didn't seem like the kindest person, from what she knew, but he also didn't seem like a cold-blooded killer. He looked down at her for a moment, then shook his head.
"Does it matter? I killed her."
"Everything isn't so black and white. I know that. You know that. Was it an accident? Were you forced?" She asked, hoping to calm him down by getting some information out of him. He scoffed at her, stepping back.
"You're really something, Marigold," he said with a sigh. She didn't really like the use of her full name, since her nickname was her preference, but she kept it to herself. There was no point in mentioning it. "Do you think my family is kind? That we are gentle creatures of the night? If that is what you believe, I am sorry to say but you are wrong. We're monsters, Mari, and we feed on weak, pathetic humans like you."
A smacked echoed through the quiet room, and Mari stared at her hand with wide, watery eyes. She hadn't meant to strike him. He just struck a nerve with her, referring to her as weak and pathetic. After all she had suffered for the sake of her family, she was hardly weak. Pathetic maybe, but she endured a lot to protect her little brother.
Mari scrambled from the room as he stood there, stunned, and she hurried down the hall. Kol came from the door after her, and she was unsure of what his intentions were. There was no point in apologizing. How could she apologize for something like that? When she looked back at him, she was surprised to see a smirk on his face, a devilishly handsome smirk.
"Oh, Mari, love. Don't leave now. Things were just getting exciting." He walked slowly, casually, his hands buried in his pockets. He didn't have to run or try and catch her because he knew there was nowhere to go.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her arm, yanking her around. She stumbled a bit but caught herself, looking up the see Klaus standing in front of her now, looking at his brother with a scarily intense gaze.
"Brother, if you'd kindly get out of the way."
"She isn't your prey, Kol," Klaus grimaced, ground. "Do no toy or torture her while she is a guest in our household. Freya will have your head if the girl comes to any harm."
"Im hardly frightened by Freya," Kol scoffed. He glanced back at Mari. "We were just having a little fun, weren't we, darling?"
"Kol, I realize you are still grieving, but do try to behave yourself."
"Yes, because we're all so bloody good at behaving," he rolled his eyes. "You are a changed man, Klaus. Camille really tamed the beast, it would seem." Klaus grabbed Kol by his collar then, and he shoved him backwards.
"Do not speak of Camille."
"Maybe that's why you've taken such an interest in our dear Marigold," Kol speculated, eyes darkening a little as he spoke. "She does resemble Camille a bit. With her golden locks and those big doe eyes you always fall for. Don't be such a sucker, Niklaus."
"It's my fault," Mari said quickly, just to stop the fighting. "I got offended, and I stupidly hit him. I provoked him. It's alright, Klaus."
They both looked at her, equally stunned and confused. She swallowed hard, then looked at her feet, clearly blushing and clearly embarrassed. Klaus looked back at Kol to confirm her words, and Kol just nodded his response.
"Just... Behave," Klaus reiterated, this time aiming the remark at both of them. Mari nodded, then waved quickly as Klaus left, heading back down the stairs she assumed he came up on. Kol watched him disappear, then turned his focus to Mari.
"Why did you take the blame?"
"I don't want to be the reason you two fight," she shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest to hug her upperbody. He laughed a little, which caught her off guard.
"Oh, sweet Mari. We have centuries of things to fight about. You needn't worry about being one of them." He seemed to be more relaxed now, and so was she as a result. "I was feeling quite down today. Somehow you've managed to make me laugh."
She wasn't sure that was a good thing. She hadn't done anything comedic or remotely funny, and yet he he had laughed. Perhaps her misfortune was funny to him for some reason. Either way, she was at least glad he had lightened up some.
Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter! It's getting late but I wanted to update before bed :) I'll try to update tomorrow for you guys too. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it and want to see more :) your feedback fuels this story.