𝓤𝓝𝓕𝓞𝓡𝓣𝓤𝓝𝓐𝓣𝓔, 𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓞𝓡𝓘𝓖𝓘𝓝𝓐𝓛𝓢

CHAPTER 7

In the courtyard of the Abattoir, hundreds of vampires are gathered, talking and drinking. Marcel stands on the balcony, overseeing the event. Riya stands beside him, excitedly watching the fight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fight Night! And, the first rule of Fight Night is: The vampire left standing at the end of the night is one step closer to the inner circle, and one of these," Marcel said, holding up his hand, showing a daylight ring. "If you can impress me with a little ultra-violence, you too can enjoy the sun's warmth on your face. All you have to do is kick a little ass. Here we go!"

The crowd cheers as vampires form a circle. Riya leans over the balcony, grinning.

"This is crazy, Marcel!" she said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Just wait, kid. It's only getting started," he told her with a wink.

Down below, the fight begins.

"Our first two contenders: Felicia and Otto!" Marcel announced, his voice booming over the crowd.

Felicia and Otto fight fiercely, and Riya watches in awe. As the fight intensifies, it looks like Otto will win, but Felicia gains the upper hand and wins.

"Damn, girl! Not bad!" Marcel said with an impressed nod.

Suddenly, Klaus and Elijah enter the courtyard. Riya gasps as Klaus approaches Felicia and snaps her neck. The entire crowd falls silent.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, rushing down the steps. She moved quickly toward Klaus and Elijah, confusion written all over her face. "What just happened?" she asked, looking between her father and uncle.

"Just handling a minor inconvenience," Klaus told her, his eyes cold as he glanced around the silent courtyard.

Marcel steps forward, his posture tense.

"What do you think you're doing?" Marcel asked, irritation creeping into his voice as he glared at Klaus.

"It appears that we've interrupted a collection of filthy amateurs!" Elijah said disdainfully, his eyes sweeping the room. "We've come here for the girl. Give her to us or..." Elijah's tone grew icy. "We kill everyone here. Starting with you."

"You two got a lot of nerve, coming into my home and making demands," Marcel said, standing his ground.

"Your home, is it?" Klaus asked mockingly, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.

"The girl! I will not ask again," Elijah told Marcel, his voice growing harder with each word.

Marcel chuckled, shaking his head.

"I assume you're talking about Hayley? Yea high, dark hair, bitchy attitude? Who is she, anyway?" Marcel asked nonchalantly.

"She's an old friend. You know how sentimental I am about old friends," Klaus said with a smirk, his eyes locking with Marcel's.

"Well, I ain't got her. And before you start whining, I did pay her a little visit earlier tonight. I was feeling nostalgic, so I took a trip out to the plantation where I used to be a slave. And, imagine my surprise when I realized that the Original family of vampires had taken up residence," Marcel said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Your girl, Hayley, answered the door, we exchanged hellos, that was it. You don't believe me? Look around. Hell, I'll even help you find her. But the question that I'd ask is: if Hayley isn't here, then where is she?"

Riya looked from Marcel to Klaus and Elijah.

"He's telling the truth, Dad," Riya told Klaus softly, stepping closer to him. "We left the mansion together. Hayley was alone when we left," she added, glancing at Elijah as well.