Chapter 33:
Mari stared down at her hand where Elijah's two puncture marks remained. They decorated her palm, just under her thumb, with purple and red. The whole area was a little sore, but nothing she wasn't used to. It wasn't like Klaus couldn't get a little rough with his bites at times. Only, this wasn't Klaus. It was Elijah.
She still wasn't sure what to think or feel about the situation. For so long, it seemed like Elijah hated her. Maybe he still did, but she never saw him lose control like that before. He all but turned her out while he fed, as if he couldn't hear her whining at all.
When she heard a knock at her door, she felt a little nervous. Surely, Elijah wouldn't be returning so soon, and it was unlikely that it was Klaus or Kol. The latter called her that morning to let her know they were busy "cleaning up Marcel's mess." He didn't sound too happy either, which made her worry a little for them.
Mari got up from the sofa, then slowly stepped towards the door. She pulled it open, holding her hand down by her side to hide the bite in case it was Klaus or Kol, but it was not either of them. Nor was it Elijah.
Her mother stood there, her brow furrowed and eyes watery. When she saw Mari, she took a deep breath, then stepped forwards to hug her tightly.
"Marigold, I am so sorry."
"For what, Mama?" Mari asked, flinching from her touch a little. Her mother had all but ruined their relationship, and she wasn't comfortable hugging her so affectionately. She didn't deserve Mari's affections.
"My past. Mari, all of this that is happening to you now... it's my fault." She leaned back to take Mari's hands into hers, but Mari jerked her injured hand away. Her mother was quick to notice, so she pulled it back to examine it. "This," she sighed down at her daughter's wounds. "This is my fault, Marigold. I did this to you."
"What are you talking about?" Mari pulled her hand back, then turned to walk back to her couch. She wasn't in any mood to deal with her emotionally unstable mother. Not when she had so much else on her mind.
"When I was young, I was involved with the witches. You know that," her mother began explaining, wringing her hands together. "But you don't know the whole truth. I didn't even know the whole truth until today."
"What truth?"
"I'm telling you this... because you cant possibly hate me anymore than you already do," her mother exhaled slowly. "When I found out I was pregnant with you... my coven thought it would be the perfect opportunity to perform a blood spell that could help end the war with the vampires for good. But... it required so much blood... infant blood..."
"You were going to sacrifice me?" Mari scoffed, staring up at her mother in bewilderment. "Your own unborn child?"
"Mari, I never wanted to hurt you," her mother insisted. "Our leader, she... She promised it would be worth it. That my future children would live long, free lives because of my sacrifice. See... she couldn't get pregnant herself. It had to be one of us."
"What did you do, Mama?"
"I ran. I took you, and I ran. I hid with your father, but they eventually found me. When I refused to give you up for sacrifice, they all got so angry. They said I was abandoning my people, and that I was a deserter to the war." Her mother began crying. "So she punished me."
Mari contemplated what that could possibly mean for a moment. She never interacted with witches much, so she wasn't sure what could have been done to punish her mother. Obviously, Mari was born just fine, so they couldn't have hurt her or her mother too badly.
"How did they punish you?"
"By cursing you, Marigold."
"Me?" Mari didn't know about any curse, nor could she think of any way she even seemed to be cursed. What could her mother possibly mean by that?
"Yes. They wanted to make sure that neither you or I could ever escape the war they were fighting. She wanted me to be afraid of vampires for the rest of your life, so she cursed you. That's why you are in the situation you are now. Because you smell so sweet to them, and you taste like candy. That's your curse. You're a walking pastry for those filthy bloodsuckers."
It was hard to believe. Part of Mari thought she might just be telling her things to plant the idea in her head that Kol and Klaus didnt really care about her, that it was all part of the curse. She could have believed that if her mother wasn't crying in front of her.
"She cursed me by making me vampire bait?" Mari frowned.
"You don't even remember some of the things you endured as a child. There was more than one attack, Marigold," her mother added. "I made you forget them. I wanted you to at least lead a somewhat normal life without being afraid of every stranger walking the street."
"W-Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because you need to know," her mother sniffled. "They don't love you, Mari, they only want your blood. You have to get out of here before they drain you completely. Please, for your own sake, please leave this city. Go far away, somewhere they can't find you."
"They wouldn't do that," Mari shook her head. "They would never do that, Mama." At least, she believed they wouldnt. Everything made more sense after Elijah snapped the night before, but surely it couldn't be true. It had to be a lie her mother was telling to convince her to leave the Mikaelsons alone.
"I swear it's true, Mari. They will take everything you have to give. They can't control it anymore than you can. You have to-"
Her mother cut off her words midsentence as Mari's front door swung open. The little woman's eyes widened as Elijah Mikaelson stepped into the room and cleared his throat.
"Forgive me. I did not know you had company."
"What are you doing here, Elijah?" Mari furrowed her brow, instinctively bringing her hand to her chest, as if she could stifle the smell of blood with her shirt.
"I warned you, Mari," her mother whined. "He's come for your blood. He will always come back for it if he's already had a taste."
"Excuse me?" Elijah grimaced. "What do you know of me, woman? I am not here for any blood. I am here to collect Marigold for my brothers."
"You can't control it anymore than your brothers can," her mother accused, jabbing a finger in his direction. "If you hurt my daughter, I swear I will end you."
"Many have tried, all have failed. Good luck to you, milady," Elijah chuckled softly. Mari's mother looked back at her pleadingly, then rushed out of her apartment. Once she was gone, Elijah turned back to Mari. "Are you alright?"
"No. I suppose not. She said... She said I was cursed," Mari admitted. "That a witch coven cursed me when I was a baby, so that I would be bait for vampires. Mama told me that's the reason Klaus and Kol want to keep me here with them. Just because I taste good or something." Her cheeks flushed. She felt silly even saying it aloud.
"It's not impossible, Mari. I've heard of a similar curse before," Elijah told her honestly, "but it was a long long time ago."
"She was a part of a coven once, when she was a practicing witch," Mari mumbled, flopping back on the sofa. "I don't want to believe it's true. If it is then maybe she's right. Maybe they don't really care about me."
"I assure you that is not the case. Curse or no curse, their hearts have been struck with feeling for you," Elijah reassured her. "They are at the compound now. Klaus has requested that I retrieve you immediately. I know you may not want to see me after..."
"I don't think it's your fault. If what my mother said is true, then you couldn't help it. You'll never be able to help it," Mari sighed deeply. "I'm always going to be a temptation to you, so what's the point in even fighting it. I'll just feed you all."
"Nonsense, Marigold. Come." He offered her his hand. "Let me take you home."
She hesitated for a moment, then laid her uninjured hand in his. Mari let him pull her up to her feet, then followed him out of her apartment. Klaus needed her, and she couldn't refuse.
Elijah knew that it was likely that Mari's mother was telling the truth. He couldn't stop thinking about her, about the night before. She plagued his sleep still. A curse made much more sense than he wanted it to. It explained why Mari was practically driving him mad with want.
Only, he didn't know how to handle it. He couldn't have her, not really. Yet, he found himself wanting more and more. He was full, yet his mouth watered just thinking about her. Elijah really needed to find a way to break whatever curse plagued her before he lost his mind entirely.
Hey guys! Thanks so much for all of your lovely comments :) they definitely inspired me to write more and gave me new ideas. I was happy to explain things a little bit this chapter, but the situation with Elijah is definitely making me nervous XD idk how to control him. What do you guys think about his involvement? Let me know!
Sorry for any typos, I'm writing on my phone currently and it likes to correct things unnecessarily and repeat words. Idk it's weird. I'll update soon though! I finally have the muse for this story again :)