The Good Daughter

Fourteen

"I thought I made myself clear." Nik was far too close to my coffin for my liking. It wouldn't be hard for him to grab me and shove me inside.

"I was back well before dusk, just as you asked."

Rebekah sat on the top of her coffin, her arms crossed.

"Don't be smart with me. You agreed to my terms before you left."

I shifted on my feet. "I was a touch distracted. So much so I lost track of time. It was ten minutes."

"And yet my calls went unanswered."

"I said I needed space, did I not?"

Nik's brows rose and it set me on edge. "You're feeling bold."

"He was worried about you. We both were. What if something happened and we weren't there to protect you."

"Give her a break. I've been with you all summer. I can't blame her." Stefan, seemingly entirely obtuse, decided to chime in on the conversation.

"I can protect myself and I have." I shoved my hands in my pockets. I hated that I was cutting Stefan out, even though he really had no business inserting himself like this. "What you want is full control, but I'm not ten anymore. I can make my own choices."

"Ah. It's freedom you want. That's why you keep pushing limits."

"I'm confused. Was that not obvious? Really Nik, you're losing your touch."

Rebekah snorted. "Gods, I missed you."

Nik rolled his eyes. It did ease the tension somewhat. "I don't have the patience for you to be discovering the short limits of your boundaries. You will shadow me."

"But-"

He held his hand up. "No arguments. I've given you far too many chances."

Fuck.

"Nik, please." He was half a step below Elijah when it came to shadowing.

I hated it.

"My decision is final."

It always was. "I'm sorry."

"It's far too late for apologies, little one."

This was fucking shit. I crossed my arms sullenly. Stefan seemed torn between amusement and disbelief. It was embarrassing to get scolded in front of him.

"Now. Gloria has chosen to disappear at the most inconvenient of times." Nik held his hands behind his back. "You wouldn't happen to know where she went?"

Why was I getting singled out?! "Why would I?"

He shrugged. "There are ninety years in which your actions cannot be accounted for. Perhaps the time in which you betrayed the family was only the first."

My jaw dropped. "You can't be serious. I made one mistake."

Rebekah had tensed where she sat. She's fucking lucky Nik's attention was on me or he'd be suspicious of her too.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I searched your most recent memories."

I kept my feet firmly planted. "Look all you want, you won't find anything of value." That was a bald faced lie, for more reasons than Rebekah or Elena Gilbert.

Stefan inched forward out of the corner of my eye.

For the love of god, please don't do anything stupid.

Nik's eyes narrowed.

"She's telling the truth." Rebekah hopped off her perch. For whatever reason, she was helping. "It's Stefan we should be interrogating."

"Why?" Fuck. She'd clocked Stefan's awful poker face. "What'd you do?!" I turned toward him.

"Nothing!"

"That's not suspicious." What in the ever loving fuck could he have possibly done in the time I'd been gone. "You idiot!"

He gaped, mouth opening and closing several times.

"He's hiding something. I want to know what." Oh god. This was even worse.

Nik turned to my coffin, and opened the top of it, withdrawing the dagger. I guess that answered that question.

I really did have my own. "Nik...?"

"I'm aware Stefan has been hiding something." He folded his hands in front of him, dagger glistening in the harsh light. "The question remains, is he willing to sacrifice his beloved sister to a fate worse than death in order to keep it."

"Why am I being used as a pawn?"

"Leave her out of this." Stefan crossed his arms.

"Happy to. Just tell me what I'd like to know and we can be on our way. Perhaps it was you who is the reason behind Gloria's sudden disappearance."

Oh Stefan. I hope not. At that point he's practically begging for death, even if it protected the doppelgänger. Which wouldn't be an issue much longer, if my theory was correct.

Nik kills the doppelgänger, he gets his hybrids.

And it seemed like we were heading in that direction.

Though if I did say something, it'd be contradicting what Rebekah said and Nik took her at her word or we wouldn't have moved on so quickly and my mind most definitely would've been searched.

Fucking hell.

I couldn't do anything.

Nik began to advance toward me.

"Wait, Nik. Please." I backpedaled, matching every step of his forward with my own backward. "I'm on the very verge of tipping over that ledge. If you dagger me now, I won't wake up the same." Traitorous tears began to well in my eyes. I hated how desperate I felt.

Why wasn't Rebekah helping?! She hated watching Kol get daggered. Or me. Or Elijah.

It didn't take long before I was backed into a corner, my hands thrown up defensively, as if that'd make a bit of difference. Nik would dagger me, no matter how much I begged or pleaded.

That was just the way it was.

Nik raised the dagger, poised to thrust it into my heart.

"You know what that will do to me!" I grasped his wrist, trying and failing to push him away.

"Wait." Stefan spoke and Nik paused. I refused to let myself think he'd save me over Elena. "Kathrine killed Gloria."

What?

Nik took a step back, and looked at him, silently gesturing for him to continue.

Stefan glanced my way, hesitating. Hesitating. "She approached me while Rebekah was getting her fitting. I didn't want to say anything on the off chance you thought we might be working together, which we are not."

"And what did Katarina offer you that she thought might be so enticing as to ensure both her and your death?"

"I turned her down." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I didn't want to do anything that might mess with Morgan or Damon, and Kathrine didn't like that. She knew you were using Gloria so she killed her."

His heart was steady.

Nik opened his jacket and slid the dagger inside the inner pocket. "Well. Fortunately for Morgan, I applaud your loyalty."

Rebekah appeared behind Stefan, snapping his neck.

I froze, watching his body hit the ground.

What the fuck?!

"That does not change that he's been hiding something. I have a feeling we'll find answers where we first began."