The Red Queen | Lucien Castle & Tristan de Martel

Chapter 18

Klaus was in time-out.

"Why do I have to babysit him?" demanded Vivalda. "I should be out looking for Hayley and Ariane. I bet I know what they went to do."

"If you are right," said Elijah, "and they are breaking the Crescent Curse, you can trust Ariane to take care of her, can't you? I hardly expect she went against her will."

"We discussed breaking the curse but not now when we have other things to deal with and can't make sure no one rips them to pieces. They kidnapped Céleste. Do you trust that they are safe?"

"I spoke briefly with Ariane yesterday. She intended to help me in preventing Céleste from taking another body. Now I need to make sure Monique Deveraux does the same. I must ensure we meet no further resistance from the witches. Bastianna and Genevieve are still at large. I hope that Monique Deveraux will help me find them, with the promise of having her friends back."

Vivalda scowled. "And why do I have to keep an eye on Nik? Have the vampires do it. He's been passed out since we brought him back, hasn't even twitched. He's not going to pull the blade out of himself so why must I–?"

"You said yourself you nearly managed to withdraw the blade from your chest. On the off-chance he could do it... you would be the one strong enough to stop him. However, I don't intend for him to stay unconscious. That is why you are here, sister. Because I believe right now, only you can talk him out of hurting our sister."

She sat beside Klaus's bed as Elijah rolled up his sleeve. "I don't see how I'm going to help much," said Vivalda. "You do realize that Klaus is most jealous of me because of the relationship I had with Mikael, right?"

"Yes. However, I believe at this moment, of those of us present here, he is least likely to slaughter you on contact. And you will be honest with him, more honest than any of us could be."

He slammed his hand into Klaus's chest, withdrawing the blade. Klaus let out a yell of anguish, eyes snapping open and watching as Elijah cleaned the blade and handed it to Vivalda. "Use it, if you must," he said. "Persuade him not to murder Rebekah." He leaned over his brother. "Niklaus, it was not my desire to bring you pain, but I will not see you hurt Rebekah."

"Elijah," rasped Klaus. "You will pay for this."

Elijah ignored him, exiting the room.

"Woah," said Vivalda, swiping her leg out and pushing Klaus back onto the bed when he tried to sit up. "Stay where you are. We are going to have a little chat."

"You'd defend her?" whispered Klaus.

"I'm not defending what she did. No, she fucked up and so did Marcel. Plain and simple, they did something really, reallybad. I never really cared for this city the way you all did. To me it was just another place. Just another room I slept in, just another cluster of sounds and culture I didn't carry in my heart because for me, everything was temporary. I'd always end up leaving soon enough. Twenty years I lived here and I didn't grow attached. But you became attached. You had a son here. You built a kingdom. And then Mikael came to tear it down. After I spent so many years hunting him, I failed, and Rebekah made me feel awful despite none of you taking that initiative. Now I know why. Had I succeeded... well, none of this would've happened. Maybe if you'd had a chance to kill Mikael, you'd have let her be. But that's now how it happened so she took desperate measures and they were truly desperate, truly awful, I won't deny it. I can't fathom what you went through, thinking your son was dead. Even if it was only a fraction of the pain we saw our mother feel when Henrik died... it's already too much pain to bear."

Klaus made a face. "Do you even know what happened that night?" He struggled to string the words together, voice still raspy. "Mikael compelled the audience to watch Le Huguenots and laugh... but it was really Marcel and my old lover, Lana, propped up on the stage. Staked to wooden crosses. The audience applauded as if it were the drollest of comedies, and then left celebrating a terrific night at the opera. I tried to save Marcel. Mikael had other ideas. Rebekah attempted to intervene. All these years, I actually believed she was trying to save me. We thought all was lost. As so I ran, beaten like the dog our father believed me to be. And as we fled for our lives, he burnt it all to the ground. And with it, we assumed, Marcel. I lived, but all that we had built died, as did the last shred of me that felt human. That is what he took from me that night. I assure you, I will not terrorize our sister and her lover for centuries. Nor will I humiliate and torment or dehumanize them. No, none of that. I will simply and quickly end them."