The Dark Side of New Orleans (Revive #2)

Chapter 10: Truth

 "I want you up at the balcony at 11:45."

I fumbled with my hands, latching them tightly around my white towel and gasping as I heard Nik's voice. "You can't freaken knock?" I exclaimed.

"I want you up at the balcony at 11:45." He repeated.

She raised an eyebrow. "Curfew? Seriously?"

"It's a fight, Caroline, most of the people attending this are just ready to put up a fight, they want blood." He explained.

"Why would you throw a party like this?" I was baffled, teetering on the verge of going insane and screaming until my throat went dry.

He did his best not to look me over and I subconsciously wondered if my body differed at all from my younger one that he had seen before. "Marcel has set rules here but this," he gestured to the walls of my bedroom, to the house "these are my walls. My rules."

I shook my head. "No one craves bloodlust-" I regretted it instantly, feeling the taste of crimson colours fill my mouth. I snapped my gaze down when I felt my eyes get captured with my inner vampire.

"They like the fight, the rush, the danger." His lip turned up into a smirk. "They like to prove themselves as fighters."

I flashed him an annoyed look, "Them or you?" I questioned. He said nothing. "I have less than an hour, Niklaus. Let me get ready."  

They had decorated everything with lights and gloomy fake trees. It was gorgeous.

The stairs had never felt so long in this moment as I lifted my long dress up to reveal black lace heels. I felt like I was going to pass out, the thought of falling kept hitting me in the face and then I realized that I am a vampire and that's a ridiculous thought.

"Whine, please, red. Whatever you suggest." I said to bartender who complied with a nice smile.

"You look gorgeous." My breath caught in my throat when I heard the voice was Marcel's.

I looked him over. "You don't look too bad yourself." I took the drink from the man's hand and gave him a grateful thank you.

I began to walk away from Marcel but he caught up quickly. "I would like you to give me a chance." He said grabbing my arm.

I turned with a vicious growl, almost dropping my glass on the floor. "Chance at what?"

"To talk maybe? I know that we haven't met under good circumstances-"

"We have met once and by what I've heard you are coming after this family!" I ripped my arm out of his grasp, pointing a finger at his chest "You will not touch Hayley, you will not touch her baby and you are not touching this family."

I began to walk away but he let out a laugh, halting me. "I was once a part of this family, Caroline.  Why would I want to destroy it?"

I stalked over to him, close enough that he could feel my breath on his cheek. "Why would the Bennett's want to destroy it?"

He froze for a second. "What are you talking about?" He tried to cover it up but it was evident.

"I knew it." I said roughly, feeling the knotting in my chest reach my head.

"Marcel," Niklaus' voice floated over to us and instantly the knots untied "I'm so glad you could-" His voice faltered when he realized it was me, he stared at me, open mouthed.

Marcel was the first to speak. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?" He said and I was revolted by the compliment but still, I did not answer.

Nik's mouth twitched at the corner, I was not sure if it was a smirk or if Marcel had hit a nerve. "You have no idea." Was his reply as his eyes looked me over.

"Do you mind if I steal her away?" Niklaus asked Marcel, still only looking at me.

Marcel looked irritated but waved us off and walked in the other direction. I couldn't say that I wasn't thrilled.

He looked dashing or handsome or something. I couldn't tell anymore but oh my god, it was one thing to see him dressed simply but to see him dressed like this was another.

I ran a hand down his arm until it reached his finger tips, my lace gloves tracing the skin of his hand. "You're still staring."

He smiled at me then and my heart melted and I wanted to tell him that I knew, tell him everything.

"I need to talk to you." I lifted my eyes to the balcony.

He scrunched up his eyebrows. "Can it wait?"

I shook my head. "I don't think I'm going to want to  tell you any other time."

He nodded.

We ended up in the library of the house just above where the ball was being held.

"What did you want to tell me, love?" He had sat himself in one of the single chairs as I walked around the fire place, picking things up from the mantel, inspecting them and then dropping them back down.

"I- I remember," I bit my lip, holding a small box and still not facing him "that summer... That I knew you. That I loved you-" I turned to him then, placing the box down. "Still love you."

His eyes darkened. "You weren't supposed to remember."

"I do and I want you to explain."

He sighed. "I wasn't going to come back, ever. So when I did I tried to not remember who you were but I couldn't and it took me a while to warm up to that thought because when I did see you and you were a vampire, I was so angry." His nails dug into the arm of the chair. "I could've taken you with me! You could've been safer but not less than a year later someone else turned you!"

"That doesn't make sense though," I shook my head "if you knew me then why did you act as if you never did. You risked my life countless times!"

"And I saved them each time! You can't say I didn't get better. I made Tyler Lockwood in hopes that he would be good for you but no, he decided that killing me would solve his problems and choosing you was not his top priority."

"You didn't make him! He was not yours to own!"

He  stood from his chair making his way over to me. "DESPITE IT ALL, CAROLINE! I LOVED YOU SO GODDAMN MUCH THAT I TRIED TO BLIND MYSELF WITH BLOODSHED AND POWER AND IN THE PROCESS I ALMOST KILLED YOU!" His eyes were watering to my surprise, he paused. "This is why you need to go home because you're in danger and not just from this town or Marcel but from me."

"Let me in." Was all I said.

My lips hit his at 11:21 and after that,

all hell broke loose. 

--

My sincerest apologies, I am such a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and I'm so sorry and I'm going to get into the habit of updating more often okay. 

Thank you guys so much for sticking around though

-Larissa