OUTCASTS | THE ORIGINALS

38

OUTCASTS
—38. Warriors Heart

It hadn't been long before they arrived at an abandoned warehouse and Cadence found herself growing tired of taunting the man, the thought of her sons lingering in her mind. She knew they were safe, Klaus would have made sure of it. But there was a part of her that knew Klaus would arrive at any moment and she had the chance of dying. Her sons would have no mother and no father.

"You know, I regret ever telling Klaus to spare you from a quick death. Should've told him how I did it to my own. One quick slash to the throat," She explained and in return, he shoved her to the floor.

She grunted as she hit the ground, but immediately attempted to wiggle out of her ropes.

The vampire was quick to step forward, stepping on the rope to stop her. "I know what it's like to be in his shoes. To be hated for what you are," She continued to explain and stared up at him angrily, "But in the end, we're the strongest in our family. They hated us, they tried to weaken us but it only makes us stronger. And with it, hatred and the hunger to avenge our childhoods."

"I didn't always hate him," Mikael argued in a stern tone, "When Niklaus was born, I was overjoyed. I thought, this one... this one has the eyes of a warrior. He will be worthy. But my hope was short-lived. And when I found out that he wasn't really my son, my relief was glorious. But that passed with the knowledge that he was begat of a beast."

"His mother deciding to cheat on you wasn't his fault. He wasn't even born yet!" She snapped at him angrily and pushed herself into a seated position, "You think he asked to be fathered by another?"

"Everything that followed was because of Niklaus' obsession with the wolves," He complained as he pointed Papa Tunde's blade toward her, "He ventured out to watch them turn under the full moon, and he took my youngest son, Henrik. He was but a child. And he was torn apart."

"It was an accident! You know nothing of what it's like to feel something is missing," She muttered and showed no pity or sadness from his sob story.

"An accident?" He practically roared at the witch who seemed unaffected by his loud, threatening tone, "He murdered my wife! His own mother who sought to cleanse him of his beast-like nature. He betrayed me."

"Beast..." Cadence trailed off and tapped her chin mockingly, "Hmm, so you're trying to tell me she was trying to cleanse him of being a wolf, but she made all of you into vampires instead? An even worse beast, mind you. Yeah, that makes so much sense."

Mikael remained silent and it brought Cadence satisfaction, knowing she had managed to shut up a vampire everyone pissed in fear around.

"On the subject of betrayal, Klaus' is nothing compared to your wife' treachery," She explained and leaned forward slightly, knowing she wouldn't be allowed to stand up, "Your wife betrayed you first when she decided to jump into bed with someone else. She caused it, not him. She should be the one you punish. She's the one who decided to sleep--"

"He turned my entire family against me!" Mikael argued, disagreeing with her defense of Klaus and her hatred toward Esther.

He didn't know that Cadence knew of the woman and understood she was far from a saint. It was honestly irritating, an even worse mother than her own.

She made her children into vampires and then wanted to moan and groan when they did what vampires do.

"Yet you defend him," He explained angrily, a part of him disgusted, "But I see it now. You're just like him."

"Maybe, maybe not," She shrugged and finally stood up without him forcing her back down, "But I've had a father like you, I've had a mother like your wife. Creating monsters then wanting to be rid of them when they prove they're just that," She ranted but paused as her eyes burned into him, "The difference between him and I was I killed my abusers long before they had the chance to deny me of anything. It was killed or be killed and I chose the first. And I killed every last one of them just so they couldn't come back for vengeance."