Bienvenue

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE:

Yesterday had been a nightmare. After the delicious pasta dinner Elijah had made, Marcel left and she retired to her newly claimed room. Klaus was mysteriously missing, but when no one made a comment about it, she didn’t either.

The trouble started when Elijah bid her goodnight at her doorstep and left her alone. The weather in June in New Orleans was notoriously rainy, as Marcel had quiped at dinner, and that night was eerily similar to the one before. 

She’d huddled under her blankets, reminding herself over and over again that she was under a dry roof, protected by ancient and powerful vampires, and has a boyfriend. But it was hard to keep a healthy, coherent string of thoughts when the world was shouting and screeching at her. At the first thunder, she let out a small yelp. The second rumble was much scarier and startled her into a scream.

Like the knight he claimed not to be, Elijah burst into her room a split moment later, two seconds after Klaus did.

“It’s the storm,” she whimpered immediately, both explaining herself and to stop them from raiding her room for intruders. She caught a glimpse of Klaus’ eye roll before hiding her face in her knees, hugging herself. There was a whispered exchange between the two brothers before footsteps left the room.

A hand cupped her wrist, making her sharply drawing her head up in alarm. Elijah sat on the bed by her gathered knees, the most open expression on his face. 

“There was a storm,” he said tentatively. “For hours last night, just before you arrived.”

She nodded her head jerkily, impressed at how he quickly figured out what was wrong. 

“You’ve barely told us what happened,” he said. “We’ve gathered that you had to walk all those miles in the rain?”

“And the lightning,” she continued for him, feeling helpless. “And the thunder. I thought I was going to die,” she finished on a whisper. Her hand clenched into her hair in frustration. “And I think it’s stupid, that I’m so scared right now when it can’t touch me.”

“You’re not stupid,” Elijah countered instantly. “Fear is often inconvenient, but never stupid. You’ve just gone through tremendous trauma only a day ago.”

“Is that what it was? What I should say it was?” she asked. “Trauma?”

Exhaling, he shook his head. “None of us can understand what you’ve gone through, but we know something about being afraid. When we were young, we had to hide in caves during big storms because our huts couldn’t withstand them. The caves echoed, and we had to stay in the danky, loud, and overcrowded tunnels until morning came.”

“A thousand years ago.”

Another lightning strike lit up the entire room for a moment. Elijah’s sharp features standing out stark against the dark background of the room. He looked terrifying for a second, as if the universe was reminding her to be afraid.

A moment’s silence passed before thunder angrily rumbled. Like the scared little girl she felt like, she whimpered, “Elijah.”

Like she’d caught him at a weak moment, he faltered. He opened his arms to her, even guided her to his embrace.

The world continued to be angry for a few more hours. Elijah held her through it all. Sometimes, he would add to her comfort by kissing the side of her head or forehead. Once, during a particularly violent strike, he flinched as well.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered some time in the night later. He was nuzzling her neck at this point, and both of them liked it. Starting a goosebumps trail all over her body, he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “I won’t fail you.”