Chapter 39:

Mari laid awake for a long time that night, listening to Kol breathing softly beside her as he slept. The place where Elijah bit her on the inside of her thigh was throbbing a little, though not in a painful way. It was more like she was just constantly and acutely aware of the little incisions his teeth left there earlier that day.

More than that, her body seemed unable to forget the way he made it feel. Why was she so weak to the charms of Mikaelson men? She cursed herself in her head, squeezing her eyes shut as if she could will her weakness away. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. That much was made obvious by the way her face still flushed just thinking of what he had done to her that afternoon.

Eventually, it became all too obvious that she wasn't going to be able to sleep. Too many thoughts were swirling around in her mind, and she had no solutions to quiet them. She couldn't help but think of Elijah, and that made her feel guiltier than before. If Kol and Klaus found out about what happened, they would surely be angry. Mari didn't want to be responsible for tearing apart their already volatile family bonds.

She remembered what she was told by her mother. She remembered her curse. As much as Mari wanted to forget about it, wanted it to be a lie, the change in Elijah's behavior convinced her completely that her mother was telling the truth. Her actions led to Mari being cursed as punishment. She was meant to die by vampires in order to punish her mother.

On the surface, Mari wanted to have the curse broken so that she would no longer be a beacon for the vampires of the Quarter. However, deep down, she feared that she would lose Kol and Klaus if she were to be free of the curse. It would certainly make Elijah lose interest, but would it make the other Mikaelson's leave her as well?

Mari slid out of bed after awhile of pondering, and she grabbed her phone quickly before stepping out onto the balcony. She looked up at the moon dancing behind the clouds, then let out a slow breath to prepare herself for what might come next. Then, she dialed his number.

After three rings, the other end of the line clicked.

"Hello? Mari?"

"Marcel," she said his name softly. "I think I need a favor."

"I didn't expect to ever hear from you again," he confessed.

"I didn't expect to be calling you again."

"Whatever it is, it must be important. Klaus has done a lot to help me with the witches lately. I suppose I should help you, if for not other reason than to repay him. What is it?" Marcel asked, seemingly indifferent to her and whatever might be troubling her.

"Could you... ask Davina to help me break this curse?" Mari had to force out the words. She hated to have to ask Marcel or Davina for anything, much less something so important and personal to her. But she felt as if she had no other choice.

Her life would never be safe if she didn't break that curse. Klaus wouldn't be in such a rush to turn her if it wasn't for her habit of drawing vampires to her, and Elijah wouldn't be so torn over his uncontrollable urges. Even if it was her blood they were all truly in love with, she needed to break this curse for herself, for her safety.

"Klaus told me what your mother said. I did a little research, and I believe Davina might be able to help you. But... you may not want to go through with it," he warned ominously.

"Why not?"

"Because it required a great sacrifice to curse you, and it will require a sacrifice to free you from it," he answered. "From what I read, and what I was told, the curse was inflicted through your mother's bloodline. You were still in her womb. While it doesn't affect anyone but you, the curse is still tied to your mother. She would have to die in order to break the curse."

Mari's stomach twisted into a knot as she realized the gravity of her situation for the very first time. Breaking the curse meant sacrificing her mother, but living with it meant sacrificing her blood, and perhaps her life. How could she grapple with such a painful decision?

"Mari, did you hear me?"

"Yes," she sighed, letting her eyelids flutter closed. "Yes, I heard you. How did you... find this out?"

"Davina dug through some books about curses until she found some record of this particular one. It's an old curse, usually used on pregnant witches that were being exiled. I think that Davina still wants to believe that it's only your blood that Kol wants," Marcel explained to her honestly. "She considered performing the breaking of the curse herself, but after some time and grief, she came to her senses."

"I didn't mean to take Kol from her," Mari muttered. "Thank you, Marcel. I'm glad that I at least know a little more about it. Let me... think about it. Please."

"Of course. If you decide to break the curse, let me know."

"I will."

Mari hung up the phone and looked up at the sky again. How could she sacrifice her own mother? Even if she was never truly a mother, even if she subjected Mari to the torment of her father for years, the woman still gave birth to her. It seemed wrong to hurt anyone in exchange for her own safety, especially if the person being hurt was her mother.

Mari ultimately returned to Kol's bed as confused and disoriented as before, if not more. Everything had gotten so complicated, and it seemed like there was no easy way to fix it. She was beginning to feel doomed from the start.

Kol noticed the way Mari seemed to be avoiding anyone's gaze the next day. Even as they were served breakfast, she barely even looked at her food. Her pretty eyes were glazed over as if she wasn't conscious at all. She was far away in her own thoughts, it seemed, and he was growing more concerned by the second.

When she went back upstairs to shower, he followed her. It wasn't until he pushed his way into the bathroom as she was getting undressed that she finally seemed to really look at him.

"What is it?" She blinked up at him in confusion, wondering why he came into the bathroom after her. His brows were furrowed in a way that made her a little nervous.

"That's what I mean to ask you. Is something wrong, love?" He asked directly, tilting his head a little as he waited for a response. Mari stood there silently for a moment, her shirt bundled in her hands, then shook her head.

"No."

"Mari, please don't lie to me," Kol frowned. "It's much too easy for me to get the truth out of you by force. Please give it to me willingly."

"I mean it. I'm fine," she tried to lie again, though her gaze dropped to her feet this time. It was stupid to try to lie, and Mari had never been very good at it anyways. She knew Kol could see right through her, but she expected him to leave it alone for the moment.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option to Kol.

"Alright. If I must compel the truth from you, so be it."

When he reached up to try and pull her closer, he was surprised to feel her little hands push against his chest as her eyes squeezed shut. Mari actually tried to push him away, and even though it did little to move him, it still wounded his heart a little.

"What?" He huffed out in annoyance. "Is it really so awful that you fear telling me? That only makes me want to know more, Mari. Something is wrong with you, and I won't let you go until you tell me what it is or I can compel it out of you."

His hands held onto her arms gently as he tried to pull her nearer. He didn't want to hurt her, or to make her feel trapped by any means, but he needed to know what was upsetting her so badly. When his hand tried to force her face upwards, into a position where he could trap her within his compulsion, she suddenly lashed out.

"You don't own me!" Mari snapped out of desperation, pulling her face away and shoving at his arm. She made sure to keep her eyes closed and her face turned away from his, afraid of what truths she might spill it he tried to force it out of her. "You can't just order me around and force me to tell you something if I don't want to. I'm not a slave, so stop treating me like one."

Kol quickly dropped his hands away from her, taken aback by her sudden outburst. She had never shouted at him in all the time he'd known her, not like that anyways. She was very timid and meek usually, never lashing out or fighting back for the most part. To hear her practically scream at him about being his slave, it confused and unnerved him.

When she realized she was free from his grasp, Mari quickly ducked around him and ran out of the bathroom, tugging her shirt back on as she made her way to the room she used to sleep in alone. Kol didn't chase her, and for that she was grateful. Even if she knew she probably hurt his feelings, she was relieved that he wasn't able to drag her secrets out of her.

Those deep, dark, dangerous secrets would wound him more than her words ever would.

Mari locked her door shut behind her, then made her way into her own bathroom. She wanted to hide in there forever, to stay far away from any and all vampires. For the next hour, she sat alone in the bottom of her shower, wondering how she was going to handle the situation she was in.

AN: Hey guys! I know it's been a long time. The college semester started, and I've been busting my ass trying to keep up with school and work because I have a disney world trip coming up with my family. But I missed this story and I want to start working on it again. So if you guys are still reading, I'll try to update as much as I can before and after my trip. Theres only like 11 chapters left :) i hope you dont give up on me just yet. Thank you for reading.

Just so I know, how would you guys like to see the story end? Who do you want mari to end up with? Or does it not matter? Your feedback will help me finish out the story :) thanks so much for sticking with me all this time.