Bloody Symphony | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 38

Natanya felt like she was being torn apart.

She awoke with the urge to barf. Elijah was beside her, and he'd been holding a cool rag to her head.

"What happened?" she asked groggily. "Oh, my head..." she brought her hand up. "Feels like I got slammed into a wall."

"Natanya," said Elijah gently. "I need you to stay calm."

"Stay calm?" she said sharply. "How the hell am I supposed to stay calm when I feel like I got run over by a bulldozer?"

He seemed surprised to hear her say this. But he refrained from bringing up the mate bond. He didn't want to startle her any more than she already was.

"You were killed," he said bluntly. "Kol... he lost control and he lashed out."

Natanya went pale. "No. Elijah, no, tell me you're lying... or kidding around..."

"I unfortunately am not. Your neck was broken, and you had Niklaus's blood in you. He should have arrived in Mystic Falls by now. I asked him to retrieve doppelgänger blood for your transition."

"No," she said, her eyes widening. "No— what? Why would I want to complete the transition?"

Elijah blinked. "You... you would prefer to die?"

"I can't do this!" she said, holding her own hands, and feeling that they were colder than usual. "I can't be dead, I can't be a vampire. I'm supposed to just be a wolf. What is my Pack gonna think if I come back like this?"

"Natanya," he said, taking her hands, so that she could feel that his were just as cold as they usually were. "This doesn't make you less of a wolf. Your Pack will accept you as you are. You did not ask for this. It was forced upon you. You have a chance to continue living. You cannot truly wish this to be the end."

"This makes no sense," she said, sniffling and shaking her head. "How is Klaus even going to get the blood? The doppelgänger won't give it to him!"

"Well, I'm afraid she does not have much of a say in the matter. Nearly a year ago, the girl was placed under a spell that kept her comatose."

"What? But then— is Klaus really just going to take the blood without her consent?"

"He and I contacted Stefan Salvatore. I believe you met him. He called in a favor for just a small amount of her blood to help you."

"It can't be that easy, it can't be! What did they ask him to do, Elijah? What are you guys having to do to pay for it?"

Elijah shook his head. "Nothing. In fact, it was out of the goodness in my brother's heart that he suggested that perhaps, Freya could help break the spell on the doppelgänger. Stefan stated that as kind as that would be, he did not need to offer anything in return. Stefan remembers you, and recalls that you saved him from being decimated by Rayna Cruz. He wished for me to tell you that you should consider it a gift."

"A gift," she said, coughing lightly. "A curse, more like it. I never wanted to be immortal, Elijah. If I'm immortal..." she started to tear up, and covered her face, letting out a groan. "I can't even think! It hurts so fucking bad!"

"Unfortunately, this is perhaps the most painful transition," said Elijah sadly. "Regular vampires... they hunger for blood, and everything aches, but with hybrids sired from Klaus... the lack of doppelgänger blood starts to kill them from the moment they wake. The longer it takes for him to return with the blood, the closer you get to death."

She tensed. "What the hell is about to happen to me?"

"According to my brother... you will be in excruciating pain. Your eyes will start to bleed. Slowly, you'll go mad, and your brain will shut down. You will die unable to recognize anyone around you."