The love for my enemy

Chapter Seventeen: Whispers of Power and Hearts Divided

Arianna stood barefoot in the grand hallway of the mansion, the dim light from the chandeliers casting eerie shadows along the walls. She didn’t remember getting out of bed, but her feet carried her toward the vault, toward the Blade of Thorns.

The iron door loomed before her, its sigils glowing faintly as if in anticipation. Her hand hovered over the surface, her fingertips tingling as the whispers wrapped around her mind.

“Power. Freedom. The strength to destroy him.”

Sebastian’s face flashed in her mind—his cold smile, his promises of control over her, his ability to break her without even touching her. Then came the faces of her friends: Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy… and Damon. His smirk that could so easily disarm her, his unspoken vulnerability. And Klaus, steady and commanding, the one who understood this power better than anyone.

“They can’t save you. Only I can.”

“Arianna?”

The voice behind her jolted her from her trance. She spun around, her heart pounding as Klaus stepped from the shadows, his gaze sharp and concerned.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, though the answer was already clear.

"I… I wasn’t going to open it,” she stammered, her voice barely steady.

Klaus crossed the space between them in a few strides, his presence filling the hallway. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, forcing her to meet his gaze. “The Blade’s pull will only grow stronger. You have to resist it, Arianna. You can resist it.”

Her throat tightened as she looked into his eyes—so full of certainty when she felt like she was falling apart. “What if I can’t? What if I give in, Klaus? I don’t know how to fight it.”

Klaus’s voice softened. “You fight it because you have something worth fighting for.”

Klaus’s voice softened. “You fight it because you have something worth fighting for.”

Arianna swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure if it was Klaus’s words or the way his hands lingered on her shoulders, steady and warm, that calmed her. But before she could speak, the sound of footsteps interrupted them.

“Am I crashing another party?” Damon’s voice broke through the tension as he appeared at the end of the hall, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. His smirk faltered when he saw the scene in front of him—Klaus standing so close to Arianna, their expressions shadowed with unspoken emotions.

You have impeccable timing as always, Damon,” Klaus said dryly, stepping back but keeping his gaze on Arianna.

Damon glanced between them, his brow furrowing. “What’s going on here? Midnight field trip to the Blade of Doom?”

“It’s none of your concern,” Klaus shot back, his tone hardening.

“Really? Because when Arianna starts sleepwalking to powerful, soul-corrupting artifacts, I’d say it’s everyone’s concern,” Damon replied, his voice sharp. He turned his attention to Arianna. “What’s going on, Ari? You don’t look okay.”

Arianna folded her arms tightly across her chest, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t feel okay. It’s the Blade… It’s like it’s in my head, pulling at me, and I can’t—”

Damon was at her side before she finished, his hand resting lightly on her arm. “You’re not alone in this. You don’t have to face it on your own.”

Klaus’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing at the way Damon’s presence seemed to calm her. “What Arianna needs is to gain control over her power. Not to be coddled.”

Damon shot Klaus a look, his smirk returning with an edge of venom. “And here I thought bossing people around was your only skill.”

“Enough!” Arianna snapped, her voice ringing through the hallway. Both men fell silent, surprised at the sharpness in her tone. She stepped back, her hands shaking. “I can’t do this. I can’t deal with the two of you fighting over me when there’s so much worse happening right now.”

She turned on her heel and stormed back to her room, leaving Klaus and Damon standing in tense silence.

Far away, Sebastian watched through his scrying mirror, a cruel smile twisting his lips. The image of Arianna, vulnerable and conflicted, shimmered before him.

“She’s unraveling,” he murmured, satisfaction dripping from his words. “The Blade is calling to her, and soon, she’ll embrace its power.”

One of the witches at his side spoke cautiously. “She resists more than you anticipated. The Salvatore and the Hybrid both hold her back.”

Sebastian’s expression darkened. “Then we take them out of the equation.”

He turned toward the room full of witches and vampires, his voice echoing with authority. “It’s time to escalate. Send a message. Let them know I’m coming for her.”

The next morning, Arianna sat with Elena and Bonnie in the parlor, their laughter breaking through some of the tension she carried.

“I’m just saying,” Bonnie teased, “if you could channel some of your superpowers into cleaning this place up, that would be great.”

Elena grinned. “You’d be saving Klaus’s housekeeping staff a lot of trouble.”

Arianna smiled, the light-heartedness a relief she hadn’t realized she needed. But even in this moment, her chest ached with the weight of the Blade’s whispers.

The door swung open, and Damon entered with his usual swagger. “Are we having tea parties now, or did I miss the invite?”

“Don’t you ever knock?” Bonnie shot back, rolling her eyes.

Damon ignored her and walked straight to Arianna, dropping into the seat next to her. “Feeling better?”

Arianna met his gaze, surprised by the concern beneath his teasing tone. “For now.”

Before she could say more, Klaus entered the room, his expression tight. “We’ve got a problem.”

The room went silent as Klaus set a blood-stained note on the table. The handwriting was unmistakably Sebastian’s:

“She will be mine. You can’t protect her forever.”

Elena’s face paled, and Bonnie stood quickly. “He’s escalating.”

Klaus looked directly at Arianna, his voice steady but urgent. “He’s coming for you, love. It’s time to prepare.”

Arianna clenched her fists, the whispers of the Blade rising again in her mind.

“Power. Control. Freedom.”

Her heart raced as she looked between Klaus and Damon, both of whom were watching her closely. This time, though, the voice was louder, more insistent.

And in the pit of her stomach, Arianna knew—whether she liked it or not—she would have to face Sebastian soon.

Would she embrace the darkness to defeat him? Or would she lose herself completely in the process?