Ardent | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 31

Elijah had to massage Evangeliya after the ordeal.

"Niklaus completed the nursery," he said, rubbing her back much more gently than she rubbed his (though he had to admit he hadn't had such a deep and soothing massage in what was probably forever). "Hayley is feeling much better and has decided to move back into the Compound."

"I'm very glad to hear that," she said, closing her eyes while he kneaded her shoulder blades. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I am. I had time to think as you inflicted such torment on me."

"Oh, you are such a baby!"

He smiled. "The massage was curative. I am concerned with what Hayley experienced and admittedly am not looking forward to sleep tonight. Which is why I wished to ask if you would be alright accompanying me."

"Of course. Do you want to sleep in this room or in your room?"

"Wherever. It does not matter to me."

"Maybe this one is better, since you've had the nightmares in your room and this one hasn't been tainted by such darkness."

He glanced at the wood stain where they'd wiped off Hayley's blood using a disinfectant. "Well, perhaps in a different way."

"Still, arguably better than your room."

"Very well. Perhaps another night we will take a turn in my room."

"Sounds good to me."

After they each bathed in some rose oil to relax, they got into their pajamas and met in Evangeliya's room, where she'd already prepared more blankets, not a fan of sharing when they could each enjoy their own.

"Breathe," she said, wiggling onto her side and caressing his head. "Close your eyes... think of something beautiful. You relax, and I will sing to you."

He kept his breathing steady as she sang sweetly, laying her head onto his chest and still stroking his cheek until he fell asleep. Only then did she allow herself to drift off.

If only it had been pleasant.

She rarely dreamt, and when she did, it was more or less pleasant. Sometimes memories plagued her but oftentimes she was in a world that didn't exist, having adventures that weren't real. A nice relief from the real world.

But this was real. There were moments when she knew immediately that a dream was a dream. This was not the case.

The soil beneath her bare feet was real. The trees of the Bulgarian forest by the Petrova household were real. She wore a loose shirt and jeans, and she wasn't sure why she had no shoes. She simply kept walking, nearing the house with every step, until she saw the bodies.

Even though she recognized her dead family members, even though she knew deep down that they'd died a long time ago, she couldn't come to the realization that she was dreaming. She ran to them, falling as she reached her sisters, cradling them and looking around wildly as bodies that hadn't been there before appeared.

Her parents, her sisters, Katherine's parents, Katherine, Nadia, Pearl, Anna, Rose, Trevor, Slater, Lucy, Hayley, and then, out of nowhere, a yell of pain.

She ran into the house, colliding with one of the walls and zipping through the corridors until she reached her room, where she found Mikael and Elijah locked in battle.

"Leave him alone," she snarled, grabbing a lamp and hurling it at Mikael. He loosened his grip on Elijah to catch the lamp, allowing the son to hit his father over the head.

Mikael surged toward Evangeliya, grabbing her by the throat and pressing the tip of the indestructible white oak stake to her heart.

"Choose," he sneered to Elijah as Evangeliya froze. "Stand with me, be rid of the whelp, and save the girl, or both of you fall with him."