Beauty and A Beast (ON HOLD)

Chapter 22

'Get inside and stay there till I come back,' said Kol with a clipped tone; his eyes boring into mine before looking around the area, as though he were listening, waiting for a sign. His body was still flush against mine causing me to shiver.

'Kol; if they're dangerous, I should come with you. I can fight them-'

Kol's head whipped back round to face me. 'You've only just started to get a hold on your powers. You are not going down there.'

I felt my face harden. 'Like you can stop me.' I pushed Kol hard but, just as I was a few steps away, I felt Kol's hands on me, making me yelp in surprise. I felt my stomach get crushed against his shoulder as he hoisted me up. I was only there for a second before he dropped me ungracefully onto my bed before he sped out of my room; the door slamming and locking as he went.

'Kol!' I screamed, pulling myself up from the bed before rushing to the door. I knew that pulling on the handle was futile but I tried anyway. Groaning in annoyance, I tried to think of how to get out. It took me less than a few seconds to focus on the door, melting it with my 'fire power'.

Once the lock had dropped to the floor in a liquid mess, I yanked open the doors, sped down the stairs and ran outside. 'Kol, where are you...' I breathed, looking round frantically to see if there were any signs to tell me where he was. 'Kol!' I shouted.

I was close to losing hope, thinking that maybe Bonnie's bubble spell didn't work as well as we'd all thought and that maybe the witches had taken him and were coming for me next.

The faint sound of chatter made me turn my head abruptly to the right. Not wasting another moment, I ran across the ground; my foot buckling underneath causing me to stumble before I carried on.

I found Kol just on the edge of the forest, just where the protective bubble started; his posture rigid and his voice quiet, almost purring. It seemed as though he was talking to himself as he was blocking the person he was talking to. 'Listen, darling. I'm flattered but I'm going to have to decline your offer. After all; I can't betray my princess.'

'Your princess will be dead within the next three weeks unless you take my offer,' drawled the stranger; whom guessing by her voice was a woman. Standing out in the open, I was surprised that Kol hadn't noticed that I was there but, then again, maybe he had and just didn't want to say anything.

'Well, then I guess you've got three weeks to train yourself up to defeat this little pest, Cassandra,' he said, looking over his shoulder at me with a smirk yet his eyes told me that he was far from amused.

The stranger moved to the side so that she was no longer hidden by Kol. 'Ah, Miss Nightingale. So nice to see you again so soon.'

'Lydia?'

A slow grin crept upon her face. 'Glad to see you haven't forgotten me.'

'How are you-'

'Alive? Don't tell me that you've already forgotten that we can only die at the hands of an Elemental,' she said; her grin faltering slightly as she spoke. 'How are your powers, by the way? Have you finally learned how to control them?'

'Enough of this chatter,' said Kol with a bored tone; moving to stand in front of me so that I was blocked from Lydia's vision. 'You've got your answer. Now leave.'

Lydia laughed. 'Quite the man you have there, Cassie. Very protective,' she purred making my skin crawl. 'I guess I should leave you to enjoy your final weeks on earth with such a handsome man. But don't worry; we won't be far away. In case you do change your mind.'

The sound of Lydia's footsteps against the forest ground told me that she was leaving, that and the fact that Kol was facing me with a cold expression on his face.