The Newest Salvatore

Chapter 34

"Quick, put her in her room," beckoned Stefan, opening the front door of the mansion as Damon ran through, clutching a delirious Lexi to him. He made quick work of the stars and set Lexi gently down on her bed before running to get a cold cloth to wipe her fevered brow. Stefan was waiting anxiously for Klaus who he'd called on the way over from Portland as Damon was breaking just about every speed limit possible.

"What's going on?" demanded Klaus as he appeared at the front door having sped over to the Salvatore boarding house.

"It's Lexi," said Stefan. "We found Marcel and he attacked Lexi,"

Klaus frowned, "well isn't she healing?"

Stefan shook his head. "We've not seen anything like this before, but it looks like a werewolf bite that's spreading faster than it normally would. We thought if it were like a werewolf bite, you might be able to heal her?"

Klaus looked concerned, "a werewolf bite, you say?" he repeated, his brow furrowed as his mind raced through the various possibilities. "Surely not..." he whispered, so quietly that even Stefan barely heard it. "Take me to her," he instructed and Stefan lead the way quickly.

Lexi was barely conscious now, moaning deliriously as Damon tried to soothe her, her face scrunched up in agony. Klaus stormed into the room and almost pushed Damon out of the way in a bid to see the injury for himself.

"I didn't think he'd do it..." he muttered, inspecting Lexi's arm with immense focus and a grim look on his face.

"Do what?" asked Damon, exasperated. "Can you help her?"

"I can try," replied Klaus, biting into his wrist and holding it to Lexi's mouth where a few drops were swallowed. The three men watched her arm closely, panic starting to resurge as there was no sign of healing.

"Klaus," whispered Stefan in desperation, "what is it?"

Klaus shook his head in disbelief, "I'd heard rumours," he said, "that Marcel had found the witches who would create a serum so intense that he would overpower even my family and I. It's happened only once before and the man who took the serum had a bite fatal to all, even and original, and possessed even greater strength and speed than we do. We called him an..."

Damon interrupted, "an Upgraded Original Vampire. Yeah we know, Marcel told us. How the hell do we stop him?"

Klaus looked at them grimly, "we can't," he said, "the only way the last Upgraded Original Vampire was taken out was by an Adfectus witch, but there hasn't been one for centuries and we think the blood line has died out."

Stefan and Damon looked up sharply at the mention of an Adfectus witch, but didn't bring it up to Klaus. At that moment, they had more pressing concerns as Lexi began to cough uncontrollably, the poison from the bite spreading through her body.

The three men suddenly heard a car pulling up in the drive, followed by the slam of a car door and an exchange of pleasantries before the car pulled away again.

"It's Ottilie..." said Damon quietly, wondering what on earth he was going to tell his daughter about Lexi's condition.

"We should let her see Lexi," said Stefan softly, unwanted tears starting to spring to his eyes. "She might not get another chance to, you know..."

Damon nodded stiffly and left the room to go and prepare his daughter.

"Damon!" Klaus and Stefan looked each other as they heard the happy cry of the little girl, so excited to tell them about her day with her friend. They grimaced as they heard the cries of shock follow after Damon told her about Lexi, and prepared themselves as they heard the patter of tiny feet running up the stairs and bursting into the room.