BLONDIE • the mikaelsons

chapter twenty three

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

I was rudely awoken to the sound of my phone ringing. I let out a tired whimper as I rolled over and checked my phone. After seeing that it was Klaus, I let it go to voicemail. Unfortunately for me, however, my fiancé was extremely stubborn. I let my phone go to voicemail four more times before I got frustrated enough to answer.

"This better be important, Klaus!" I snarled at him, rubbing my eyes.

"Is it true?" He said coldly and I let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm going to need a little bit more information if I am going to answer that question." I gritted out, glaring daggers at the wall.

"I received a call from Stefan Salvatore," Klaus began, "He claims that Mikael has been daggered by your sister. What do you know?"

I let out a noise that was practically a growl, "I don't know anything, Klaus! I like to stay out of all the drama, you know this! Why don't you ask Rebekah? I thought she was keeping an eye on everything for you?"

"I did ask Rebekah."

"Then why are you bothering me?" I hissed, pulling at my hair.

"My sister is besotted with Stefan Salvatore." Klaus answered, "When it comes to matters of the heart, my sister is completely untrustworthy."

"Well, as I said, I don't know anything." I said unhelpfully, "Rebekah is a bitch but she doesn't have any reason to want you dead, does she?"

"Not that she knows of."

"Klaus..." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Emilia, if my father is truly dead, I can finally be free." He said and my heart swelled at the hope in his voice, "I can wake my siblings and we can be a real family again."

"I hope for all of our sakes that Mikael is dead." I said softly, "But it seems too good to be true. Older vampires are nearly impossible to kill; I don't think that it is something my sister is capable of doing."

"She had help from the Salvatore's." Klaus argued, "My father is arrogant, they could have used that against him."

"Maybe..."

"Rebekah wouldn't lie to me." My fiancé said decisively and I sighed.

"Just be careful, Klaus."

"Oh, so you care about me now, do you?" He huffed and I looked up at the ceiling in exasperation, "You didn't seem to care about me when you plotted with my brother to have me killed."

"You're lashing out," I told him simply, "I won't have this argument with you in the middle of the night. Go pick a fight with someone else."

"I'm coming back to Mystic Falls." He informed me coldly, "Once I have confirmed my father's demise, we shall start planning our wedding. I was thinking of a more rustic theme, do you agree, love?"

"Are you seriously going to marry me out of spite?" I let out a humorless laugh.

"I'm going to marry you because you're mine." Klaus corrected me and I fell silent, "Start looking at wedding dresses, I can't wait to see you in white."

And then he hung up.

Getting back to sleep was nearly impossible after his call, but I eventually drifted off, his words ringing in my ears.

***

The next time I woke, it was to the sound of banging.

Sunlight poured through the window as I opened my eyes, conscious of the ongoing noise. I had stayed at Elijah's house last night, like I had done most nights since he'd been gone. I hoped he wouldn't mind when he was eventually awoken.

I checked the clock, only to learn that it was nearly three in the afternoon. Klaus' late night call had really fucked with my sleep schedule.

The banging continued and I let out an annoyed groan. Perhaps one of the neighbours was having building work?

I quickly went about my morning routine of brushing my teeth and getting dressed. I walked through the hallway towards the kitchen to eat my breakfast when the noise sounded again. Now that I was closer, I realised that someone had been knocking on the front door.

I eyed the door warily as I hurried into the kitchen. No sane or friendly person would knock continuously on someone's front door for well over ten minutes. I grabbed a kitchen knife as my heart thumped wildly in my chest.

I was very aware of the fact that Elijah's name was on the deed of this house. If there was a vampire at my door, there was nothing much I could do to stop them. But hopefully I could bluff.

Cautiously, I crept to the front door and looked through the peephole. I'd never seen the man on the other side of the door but I knew who he was the moment I laid eyes on him. He looked painfully like Elijah and Rebekah.

Mikael was alive and at my door.

I weighed my options. I could climb out a window and run to a house that he wasn't invited into. I could call Rebekah and hope that she wasn't in on the plan. Or I could face him and play the role of a lifetime.

"I can hear your breathing." Mikael's snarling voice came from the other side of the door and I froze.

"You haven't been invited in, vampire." I spoke back, impressed that I had kept my voice steady.

"I have other ways of getting what I want." He said simply before dragging my sister into the view of the peephole.

"Elena!" I cried, throwing the door open but not crossing the threshold.

"I do not wish to harm your sister," Mikael said with a cold sort of calm, "But I will."

"Emilia, please!" Elena cried, her eyes wet with tears.

"What do you want?" I asked, swallowing nervously and Mikael tracked the movement with a sadistic delight.

"I require your assistance in ridding the abomination that you allowed into your bed" He said in disgust.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that." I said with a fake smile before pointing to the doppelgänger in his arms, "And that is clearly Katherine, so you have no leverage over me."

I went to close the door in their faces but I was stopped by a foot in the threshold. I looked up at Katherine in horror and she gave me an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Emilia, but I need Klaus to be dead." She said pushing the door open and walking in.

I ran back through the house, hearing Katherine speak to Mikael, "Elijah owns this house, you don't need to be invited in."

Running was useless, as was the knife I gripped in my sweaty palm. I was no match for Mikael.

Originally published: August 2nd 2024