𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 ; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝗺𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

ii. the hybrid

"You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?" Madelyn mocked.

"I'm fine," Stefan said.

"You sure about that?" Madelyn chuckled when Stefan gave her a small glare. "I take it you don't like me very much."

"You know she's right, we've been walking for quite sometime now," Klaus continued on with his subtle mocking. "If you need some water or a little sit-down..."

"You know, I get that we're stuck together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, it'd be great," Stefan said.

"You don't enjoy our banter? Well, I am wounded, Stefan," Madelyn said sarcastically. "You think you know a guy."

"So much brooding," Klaus said. "Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend."

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves," Stefan said. "We've been at it all summer."

"All summer, Nik? And you didn't call me til now?" Madelyn asked with mock hurt. "I'm mildly offended. You know I love a good chase, and I get it done quick."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" Klaus said. "Thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack."

The trio stopped walking as they had finally made it to Ray's pack. There were a half dozen tents set up and people doing chores around the camp. There had to be at least a dozen werewolves.

They continued forward into the camp, the werewolves taking notice of them. Stefan dumped Ray in front of them without remorse.

A girl in a maroon tank top ran up to his lifeless body. "Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on?"

A man in a blue flannel stood beside the crouched down girl, comforting her. Both of them looked up Stefan with fear and anger in their eyes.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"The important question is who am I," Klaus said, stepping up next to Stefan. Madelyn took her place on the other side of the younger vampire. "Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus."

The girl stood up and backed away slowly with the man.

"You're the hybrid," she realized.

"You've heard of me. Fantastic."

~

Madelyn walked up to the girl who had rushed to Ray's side, circling her as well as the man in the flannel who stood next to her like a shark does their prey.

"It's fascinating, actually— A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid," Klaus said from where he and Stefan sat leisurely on a log.

Everyone's attention was grasped by Ray as he sucked in a huge breath of air and coughed.

"Excellent timing, Ray," Klaus quipped. "Very dramatic."

"What's happening to me?" Ray asked.

"Stefan." Klaus looked toward the boy to explain.

"Are any of you human?" Stefan asked. "Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to a vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die."

Madelyn smirked from next to the man she stopped circling. Her hand harshly gripped the back of his neck as she pushed him forward. "I think we have a volunteer."

Klaus matched Madelyn's smirk. "Lovely."

Klaus grabbed the man's arm and bit into it and let the blood flow.