Ardent | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 35

They trekked deep into the Bayou.

Evangeliya forgot how little she liked being out there. For Hayley's sake, she followed along, letting the hybrid take the lead, sniffing and sensing what she perceived to be the trail toward Jackson.

"So he just gave up?" said Evangeliya, seeing a trailer in the distance. "Disappeared and didn't come back? How do you know he's alive? Surely an Alpha wouldn't have tossed the towel in so easily."

"He's alive, I have a feeling," replied Hayely. "As for why he didn't come back... I don't know. And I guess I–"

Evangeliya swiped her leg out, knocking Hayley to the ground and catching two arrows that were shot toward them. She flung them back the way they came, hearing a rustling that let her know that whoever shot them had narrowly avoided being pierced by them.

"You want to try that again?" she asked as Hayley got back up. "Some sub-par archer against a hybrid and a borderline-ancient vampire? Go ahead, I dare you."

A man walked out of the bushes, holding a sword. Evangeliya went to the nearest tree, ripping off a thick branch, breaking off the twigs that clung to it. "One hit with this," she said as he got closer, "and it's lights out for you."

"STOP!"

Hayley swatted the branch out of Evangeliya's arm as Jackson ran out of the trailer. "Jackson!"

"Hayley," he replied, a grim smile on his face. "And Evangeliya. I see you two have met my friend Ansel."

"Your friend has a death wish," said Evangeliya, seeing Ansel had yet to lower his sword.

He was staring at Jackson, confused. "You know them?"

"Yeah, actually, I do," said Jackson. "This is Hayley, the last living Labonair. Evangeliya's a vampire; last I remember she was dating Elijah Mikaelson."

"I still am," confirmed Evangeliya. "What happened to you?"

He motioned for them to come closer, where a small sitting area around a fire pit had been set up. Mismatched chairs and logs seemed to be what these two men found comfortable. Evangeliya made a face as she slowly sank into one of the chairs, cringing at the sensation of mud under her shoes.

"You just disappeared," said Hayley, once she and Jackson had sat down. Ansel was a bit aways from them, sharpening his sword. "That day you were rescued, you went back to the Bayou and I didn't see you again."

He sighed. "After Francesca Guerrera took over the wolves, she offered me a moonlight ring as long as I'd call her Alpha. I declined. So, a couple of her brothers dragged me out here and left me for dead. By the time I healed up, word had spread about what happened to you, and to your baby." Hayley looked down, sadly. At the moment, Evangeliya's compulsion prevented her from remembering the truth about Hope, so she, too, solemnly stared at the ground. "So, I knew it was over, and I just drifted. And that's when I met Ansel. See, he's been teaching me the old ways, the traditions. What it means to be a wolf."

Hayley scoffed. "You mean by living out in the ass-end of nowhere?"

"It smells very bad," agreed Evangeliya quietly as Hayley laughed. She wondered how often these two showered. The water wasn't close by, and the 'old ways' consisted of terrible hygiene.

"Hey, easy," said Jackson, motioning for them to quiet down as Ansel made faces. "Your kind makes him ornery."

The hybrid's smile dropped. "My kind? Jack, whatever you and your friend think of me, my kind is the wolves. Even if they did pledge allegiance to a witch. You should remember, too, how much Evangeliya helped us in the past. Things can go back to the way they were. All the wolves need is an Alpha. Ollie needs one, too."