Bound in the Shadows / TVD N.M

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Liora

As Nik crept quietly around the room, the tension thickened, an electric charge lingering in the silence. Suddenly, without warning, a force slammed into him, sending him crashing across the room and shattering a window.

I gasped, watching him struggle to his feet. "Elijah—" Nik breathed out, a mixture of shock and disbelief in his voice. He pushed himself up, eyes blazing, never taking them off the tall figure standing just beyond the broken shards of glass. Who undaggered him?

The two brothers were locked in a silent, tense standoff before they lunged at each other. Their movements were swift and brutal, each strike and block a testament to centuries of sibling rivalry, both of them unwilling to back down. After several intense moments of watching them fight, I cleared my throat, the sound echoing in the tense room. Both brothers froze, Nik appearing mildly embarrassed and Elijah's head snapping toward me, surprise flitting across his face as he took in my presence. He hadn't realized someone else was in the room.

I stepped forward, taking in Elijah's refined presence. He was Nik's older brother, and the stories I'd heard about his nobility seemed confirmed in the calm but intense way he composed himself. I extended my hand toward him with a polite smile. "Hi, I'm Liora. It's so nice to finally meet you properly."

Elijah looked at me, clearly confused, before he took my hand, his brow furrowing slightly. "Liora?" His eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of recognition flashing as he looked over my shoulder at Nik. "Niklaus, wasn't that the name of the wolf that followed you around after you broke the curse?"

Nik shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flicking between Elijah and me. His voice held a grudging note of pride. "Yes, Liora is... that wolf, though she's far more than that now."

Elijah's expression softened, curiosity replacing the tension that had just moments ago driven him to attack his brother. He looked back to me, his eyes filled with a newfound respect and interest. "I see," he said, his voice warm, "you must be quite exceptional indeed to keep up with him, let alone to have earned his trust." He inclined his head slightly, his formal demeanor making me smile.

I returned the nod, still holding his gaze. "Trust me, it took some work. But someone has to keep him in line." I flashed Nik a playful look, earning a faint, reluctant smile from him, even as his tension lingered.

Nik, crossing his arms, muttered, "Liora does have a talent for making things... interesting."

Elijah's gaze flicked between the two of us, his eyes sharp with curiosity as a smirk played at his lips. "Seems I've missed quite a bit."

Nik straightened up, brushing the last few shards of broken glass from his clothes as he shot a cool glance at Elijah. "We have a lot to discuss, brother—"

Elijah's hand lifted, his brow arched as he cut him off. "I take it neither of you pulled the dagger out of me?"

Seeing the impatience building between them, I decided to skip past any lengthy explanations. Walking over to Nik, I looped an arm around his torso, meeting Elijah's intense gaze without a hint of hesitation. "Your father is dead, Elijah. We killed Mikael."

Elijah's usually composed expression faltered, his lips parting in shock as he processed the news. His face softened in what looked like the beginning of relief, but a flare of anger quickly replaced it. "Then why," he asked, his tone sharp and unyielding, "do our siblings remain locked in those coffins?"

I shrugged, my expression nonchalant. "Well, if we're looking at the details here, Rebekah is also undaggered, as you can see. We didn't exactly leave you all out in the cold."