Hurricane / The Originals

Chapter 17

I was walking between both vampires, with Eve leading the way a little ahead of us. The Bayou was dark and thick with mist, making the eerie silence almost deafening. I leaned closer to Elijah, lowering my voice.

"Why are we following a strange lady who was hiding behind a bush?" I asked, my tone laced with skepticism.

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Do you not have faith in your protection from me?"

"What happens if she's leading us straight to Klaus?" I shot back, matter-of-factly. "We saw how well the last fight between you two went."

Elijah's gaze was steady. "Well, if Klaus is on the other side of this, then your safety is insured."

I gave him a doubtful look but didn't press further. Eve had already picked up her pace, and her form was just visible through the fog as she led us deeper into the swamp.

As we moved, I overheard Eve talking ahead, her voice cutting through the oppressive silence. "Surrounded by 20,000 acres of swamp, the ones born here, who know it like the backs of their hands, will be fine. But here—" She pointed at the map with her stake, drawing our attention. "—newcomers from out of state. Not of Hayley's and my kin. But word's spread about that baby of hers. A lot of werewolves want to see this miracle pregnancy for themselves."

Her words hung in the air, and I could see Elijah and Rebekah exchanging a look.

Rebekah's voice was tinged with disbelief. "You say that like we're supposed to care."

Eve turned to face us, her eyes sharp. "Believe me, you're going to want them kept alive."

Elijah's expression grew more serious. "And why is that?"

Eve glanced at me, then back at Elijah and Rebekah. "See for yourself."

—-

Evening had fallen over the Bayou, casting a dim, eerie glow over the werewolf encampment. I walked between Elijah and Rebekah, my senses alert to every sound and movement in the shadows. Rebekah's expression of disdain was palpable as she surveyed the makeshift homes around us.

"All these wolves really travel in style, don't they?" Rebekah said, wrinkling her nose as she looked around.

Elijah opened the door to a trailer and peered inside. "Empty."

"Behind on their payments, perhaps?" Rebekah's tone was dry.

Elijah shrugged. "So, proceed then."

Rebekah's voice was dismissive. "Let's not tell Hayley that we did. You get to impress the girl, and I can go home. You know how hovels depress me."

"I'm not trying to impress the girl," Elijah said, his smile faint.

I began to wander off, my attention drifting from the conversation. The dilapidated shacks and makeshift homes of the werewolf encampment felt surreal, almost as if they existed in a different reality. A strange, unsettling feeling washed over me as I surveyed the abandoned structures. My eyes were drawn to a broken baby doll lying face-down in the dirt.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy as I reached out for the doll. Its once-vibrant colors had faded, and its cracked porcelain face stared up at me with hollow eyes. As I bent down to pick it up, a sudden, sharp pressure against my neck startled me.

Before I could react, a firm arm encircled my neck, pulling me backward into a hard chest. My breath hitched as I realized someone was holding me in a tight embrace. Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to stay calm, trying to assess the situation.