Every King Needs A Queen / Book Three / Daring Spell Series / The Originals

Beautiful Mistake

Marcel had called me telling me that a vampire from the Strix had been following him to get to me.   

"I caught one of Tristan's guys tailing me. Knocked him out, brought him to the gym for a little Q&A. Problem is, it's Shen Min."

"Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Because we met him at the Strix ball. Tristan introduced us. Shen Min was known as 'The Red Sorrow' before he was a vampire."

"Then kill him, now."

"Auria?" 

"Before he wakes, you tear that heart from his chest. I'll be there shortly."

    ~~~ 

I got to the church in time to see Hayley and Marcel interrogate Shen Min.

Hayley knelt in front of Shen Min so she could look him in the eyes. "There's still time. If you talk, maybe I'll even get you healed." She forcefully pushed her index finger into the bite wound on his wrist she gave him earlier. It was clear that it was causing him pain, but he simply clenched his jaw and said nothing. "Why were you following Marcel?"

Shen Min looked up. "Because we have a use for him. Or, is it some other reason? You'll never know. And, it won't matter, because when I get free, I'm going to break your jaw as you did mine and slowly pull your intestines from your body."

Marcel looked up in alarm. "Hey, how about we just calm down?"

Shen Men looked at Marcel. "And you. The others were so pleased when you joined our ranks, but I knew from the start you were filth. You've proven it by siding against us. For that, I will end you, but not before you watch her die..." He looked at Hayley. "Screaming."

Marcel sighed in exasperation, turning to Hayley, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket. "Right. Well, that's about enough of that. Sorry, guys. Your turn's over. He's got to die."

Marcel lunged forward to rip out Shen Min's heart. Shen Min stood, spinning quickly, smashing the chair that he was chained to against the doorway, allowing him to get free of his restrains. He picked up two broken chair legs, holding one in each hand as makeshift stakes. Marcel got into a defensive position in preparation for a fight, lunging toward him. Shen Min blocked his hits with the stakes, pushing him through the air toward the other side of the room, making him hit the wall and fall. He turned to Hayley, trying to hit and kick her repeatedly. Hayley ducked, dodged or flipped out of the way to make him miss, grabbing a kettle-weight from the floor as she stood from the flip, swinging it toward him so hard it knocked one of the stakes out of his hands. Hayley used the weight to slap him across the face twice. Shen Min grabbed Hayley's arm, twisting it to break it, using it as leverage to push her to the floor.

Marcel appeared behind Shen Min, restraining him, looking at Hayley. "Take him!"

Hayley went to rip out Shen Min's heart. Shen Min kicked Hayley in the stomach, making her fall back. He elbowed Marcel in the face, pushing him aside, throwing him into the side of the fight age, making him fall to the floor. Marcel stood. Shen Min rushed over, plunging his hand into Marcel's chest, gripping his heart tightly, making him scream in pain. Hayley rushed over to stop Shen Min from killing Marcel. Shen Min plunged his other hand into Hayley's chest, gripping her own heart tightly, making her scream in pain.

"How poetic," Shen Min told them smugly. "Two warriors fighting side by side, dying together."

I rolled my eyes, using magic to give Shen Min a massive pain infliction spell, making him groan in pain and fall to his knees, making him let go of Marcel and Hayley's hearts, hold his head and fall to his knees.

Marcel and Hayley gasped for breath, recovering from nearly dying.

I walked closer, looking at Marcel. "Are you okay?"

Marcel nodded.

Hayley rolled her eyes, catching her breath. "Oh, I'm fine, thank you for asking."

I gave Marcel a look. "Marcel, next time I ask you to take out the trash, try not to dally."

Hayley chuckled. "Sound more like a wife, Auria."

I smirked.

Marcel chuckled.

  ~~~

We took Shen Min to St. Louis Cathedral's bell tower to meet up with Elijah.

Elijah pulled Shen Min to his knees.

Shen Min groaned in pain.

Marcel looked at us warily. "Between blood loss and that bite, I'm not sure you have enough time to get answers."

Hayley circled around Shen Min so she could face him. "Then let's make the most of it. We want answers."

Shen Min turned around in an attempt to stand and prepare to attack Elijah.

Elijah gripped his throat, compelled him. "Why were you following Marcel?"

Shen Min tried to remain silent, but the compulsion was too strong. "He is an obstacle to the thing we truly want."

"Which is what?" Elijah asked.

Shen Min looked at me. "Auria Rayvnne."

We were all unsettled and concerned.

"What do you want with me?" I asked.

"Tristan needs you to activate a weapon to use against the Mikaelsons," Shen Min answered.

"What weapon?" Elijah asked angrily. Shen Min used all of his energy, resisting the compulsion. Elijah held his throat tighter, making him gasp for breath. "Forgive me. I'm having a little difficulty hearing you right now. Speak."

Shen Min gasped for breath. "I'd... rather... die."

Shen Min mustered up all of his strength to pull himself out of Elijah's grip. He fell weakly to the floor, pulling off his daylight ring, starting to burn in the sunlight until he burst into flames, burning alive.

Elijah, Hayley, Marcel and I watched in shock.

  ~~~

We were all talking to Freya.

Hayley was looking at photos of Hope on her phone.

Elijah approached her.

Hayley looked up at him with a rueful smile. "There was a time when all I wanted was to find my family. It consumed me. And then, once I did, as crazy as it is, all I wanted was a home. And New Orleans is that home. And the Strix are trying to take that, aren't they?"

"No," Elijah told her in a determined voice. "We won't let them."

Marcel, Freya and I walked toward them.

"Might be harder than you think," I told them.

Elijah realized who was missing, becoming worried. "Where is Rebekah?"

Freya looked distraught. "We need to call Klaus."

Freya told us that Klaus had been with Aurora de Martel all day, and that while we were dealing with Shen Min, the Strix had gone after Rebekah and taken her down with a cursed stake so they could take her away to God knew where.

All I knew was that no one was going to rest until Rebekah was back.