The love for my enemy

Chapter Fourteen: Darkness Unleashed

The room was eerily quiet after the chaos of the battle. Arianna lay unconscious in Klaus’s arms, her body limp and her skin unnaturally pale. Damon paced furiously, his jaw clenched.

“She’s not waking up,” Damon growled, glaring at Klaus as if it were his fault. “What did Sebastian do to her?”

Klaus tightened his grip on Arianna, his face carved from stone, though his eyes betrayed a storm of emotions. “He turned her,” he said, the words laced with venom. “He’s made her one of us.”

Damon froze, his expression twisting between shock and rage. “What?”

She’s a vampire now,” Klaus said, his voice softer. “And with the Blade’s power still coursing through her…”

“She’ll be unstoppable,” Damon finished, running a hand through his hair. “Great. Just great.”

Suddenly, Arianna stirred, her fingers twitching as her eyes fluttered open. They weren’t the warm hazel Klaus and Damon were used to; they glowed faintly, an unnatural mix of crimson and gold.

“Arianna?” Klaus said gently, lowering her to the ground as she sat up.

Her breathing was ragged, her hands trembling as she pressed them to her chest. “What… what happened?” she whispered, her voice hoarse.

You died,” Klaus said, his voice soft but steady. “And now, you’ve been reborn.”

The realization hit her like a freight train. Memories of Sebastian lunging at her, sinking his fangs into her neck, flooded her mind. She gasped, her hands flying to her throat, where the faint traces of his bite still lingered.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, this can’t be happening.”

Damon crouched in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, breathe. You’re still you, okay? This doesn’t change who you are.”

Arianna’s glowing eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, the storm inside her calmed. But then she felt it—a hunger so deep and insatiable that it burned through her veins like wildfire.

“I need… I need blood,” she choked out, panic rising in her chest.

Klaus exchanged a grim look with Damon before pulling out a blood bag from his pocket. “Drink this,” he said, holding it out to her.

She hesitated, her hands trembling as she took the bag. The moment the blood touched her lips, her instincts took over. She drank greedily, the hunger subsiding with every swallow. When she finally stopped, her hands were shaking, and tears streamed down her face.

“I’m a monster,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

“You’re not a monster,” Klaus said firmly, crouching beside her. “You’re something far more extraordinary.”

Arianna looked at him, searching for the lie in his words, but all she saw was sincerity. “This isn’t what I wanted,” she said, her voice barely audible.

“I know,” Klaus said, his hand gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. “But you’re alive, Arianna. That’s all that matters.”

Damon scoffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, sure. Except now she’s got Sebastian’s blood in her veins and a giant target on her back.”

Klaus shot him a glare. “You’re not helping.”

“I’m just stating the obvious,” Damon retorted.

Later that night, the mansion was quiet, the aftermath of the battle leaving everyone drained. Arianna sat alone in Klaus’s study, staring out the window at the moonlit forest. She felt… different. Stronger. Sharper. And yet, she felt like a stranger in her own body.

The soft creak of the door broke her thoughts, and she turned to see Klaus standing there, a glass of bourbon in his hand.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, his voice low.

She shook her head, turning back to the window. “I don’t know if I’ll ever sleep again.”

Klaus set the glass down and approached her, his movements careful, as if afraid she might break. “It gets easier,” he said, his voice gentle. “The hunger, the power… you’ll learn to control it.”

Arianna sighed, running a hand through her hair. “What if I don’t want to? What if I just want to go back to the way things were?”

Klaus stood beside her, his gaze fixed on the moonlit trees. “You can’t. But that doesn’t mean you have to lose yourself.”

She turned to him, her eyes searching his. “How do you do it? How do you live with all of this?”

He looked at her, and for a moment, his mask of indifference slipped. “I’ve had centuries to figure it out. But you, Arianna… you’ll find your way faster than you think. You’re stronger than you realize.”

Her breath caught at the raw emotion in his voice, and before she could stop herself, she reached out, her hand brushing against his. The contact sent a jolt through both of them, and when Klaus looked at her, his eyes were filled with something she couldn’t name.

“You’re not alone in this,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

And then he kissed her. It was slow and deliberate, a mix of passion and reassurance. For a moment, Arianna forgot about the hunger, the power, and the chaos swirling around them. All she felt was him—the warmth of his lips, the steady strength of his arms as he pulled her closer.

When they finally pulled apart, her heart was racing, but for the first time that day, she felt grounded.

"We’ll figure this out,” Klaus said, his forehead resting against hers. “Together.”

But as the night stretched on, the whispers of the Blade grew louder in Arianna’s mind. And somewhere in the shadows, Sebastian watched through a magical scrying mirror, his smile cold and calculating.

“She’s mine now,” he murmured, his eyes gleaming. “And soon, she’ll realize it.”

The Blade of Thorns pulsed faintly in the vault, its power tied to Arianna’s newfound vampirism. The line between savior and destroyer blurred even further, and the real battle for Arianna’s soul was only beginning.