Allure of Darkness ↠ Klaus Mikaelson [3] ✓

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

"Young, old, dead, witches are a pain in the ass."

A dinner table is set up in the yard and Marcel's closest people are gathered around it. Hayley, the pack, and I sat together at one end, trying to stay away from the blood thirsty vampires.

Klaus called for everyone's attention to give a speech by tapping his cup with a fork.

"Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift: immortality. After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and its sorrows do diminish with time. But, as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine." Klaus gestured toward a group of waiters and waitresses to have them join us at the table, one for each guest. "Insatiable need, exquisite pain..." The servants slit their wrists with knives, filling the cups with blood for the vampires. "Our victories, and our defeats." He looked at Marcel. "To my city, my home again. May the blood never cease to flow..." He stated as he raised his glass.

"...and the party never end!" Marcel finished, raising his glass.

I narrowed my eyes at the darker skinned vampire, he was being too calm about this whole thing. He must have something up his sleeve.

Diego raised his glass. "To New Orleans."

"To New Orleans!" Klaus repeated.

"New Orleans," Everybody else said as Hayley, the pack, and I watched them all drink blood.

"I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have. What Marcel, in fact, took and built for this true community of vampires," Klaus told the vampires, looking at all of their faces as he talked. Every once in awhile, I could see his stare linger on me a little bit longer.

"What about them?" Diego asked as he pointed towards Hayley, the pack, and I. "The wolves."

"Not all of us are wolves, sweetie," I snarked. "For your info, Allison is actually a vampire." I gestured to the ex huntress who held up a cup of blood which one of the waitresses filled. "Also, if you continue to look at us like that, I will rip your throat out, with my teeth. It won't be the first time I've done it."

"Spencer," Klaus lightly scolded me. "Had you'd let me finish, Diego, you would know that there is, of course, one further matter I would like to address." He walked over to the other end of the table where we sat, taking a stance behind me. "As many of you know, the girl - Spencer - is carrying my child. Consequently, I trust you will all pay her the appropriate respect, along with her pack. However, I understand that some of you are concerned by this vicious rumor that I intend to use the blood of our child to create hybrids. I assure you I do not."