Black Rose • Mikaelson

4. Girl in New Orleans

I WAKE TO SHEETS THROWN CARELESSLY across my body. I lack clothing underneath the silk sheets and look for my partner in crime. My partner is gone and instead, there lies a black rose on the pillow top. There's a tag that reads:

As beautiful as the rose that blooms in spring, soul as black as the midnight sky.

I roll out of bed, my body still tangled in the sheets as I pick up my discarded clothing around the room. I spot a pair of clean folded clothes in a chair and dress quickly, taking the rose in my hand and leave the room. With last night's memories in mind, I use them to find my way out this enormous house.

"In my opinion, last night was excellent. I would have expected you'd stay." Niklaus enters the living room with a tray of breakfast.

"That's the thing about one night stands, my love — in and out." I smirk, gripping my rose in one hand.

His smirk matches mine as he makes his way to the dinning room and sets down the tray. I follow him, my eyes scanning over the glasses of blood.

Some kind of breakfast, I think to myself.

Taking a glass, I clink glasses with Niklaus and allow the warm red liquid to fill my mouth. I set the glass down and cut a glance at Niklaus, who is already watching me. I drag my thumb over his top lip, removing the blood left there and sucking it off my thumb. This turns Nik on so much that he slams my back against the table. His breath brushes against my face as his lips hover over mine. I send a smirk up at him before pushing him away and standing up.

"I heard there's gonna be festivities tonight." I speak.

Niklaus doesn't reply, just stares at my features like he was trying to commit them to memory. I leave Niklaus alone, finding my way back home and the threshold of my bed room. Ivonna meets me at the front door, smiling as if she couldn't be happier but I know she witnessed my crimes last night. I sit on the couch in the front room, the book Pride and prejudice in hand. We lose ourselves in a comfortable silence as Ivonna prepares for our night on the town.

"Sometimes, I really hate this mystical connection thing." Ivonna strikes up a conversation in the mist of our silence.

"Why, Vonna?" I ask, not looking up from my page in my book.

"Glimpses of so many naked body parts."

"I've had my fair share of sex tapes as well — involuntarily, may I add."

We leave the conversation there. I continue to read and drown out the world with a fictional one as Ivonna busies herself with several things. A couple hours later and my sister is throwing things at me, rushing me to hurry up and get ready. I allow my sister to go on her way and I'll meet her later, while I head to the church and find myself standing in the doorway of its attic. I lean against the door's frame, listening to Marcellus and Davina's conversation.

"Tonight's the annual Dauphine street music festival. I wanna go," Davina cuts Marcel off. "Please."

"The whole point of you being up here is so you're never spotted out there," Marcel says. "You know who works smack dab in the middle of Dauphine street? Sophie Deveraux — pain in the ass witch. And you know what the witches will do they find you."