✔ The Way We Burn || Kol Mikaelson (Complete)

Chapter 19

Kol had heard them long before they reached him, and he had truly wondered whether he should laugh or feeling sorry for himself. On the one hand, he was once more alone. On the other hand, he was rather lucky. Blood was, after all, the best remedy to forget the gaping hole that kept threatening to swallow him. Especially when the blood was flowing all around him like water.

Just when his sanity was on the brink of being completely gone, a group of thieves had tried to strip him of his valuables. And who was he to refuse them? How could he not welcome them with open arms? He most definitely wasn't someone who would refuse so many throats, especially when they were just under his nose, with veins pulsing with warm blood, begging for his bite. And oh begging they were...

The soon-to-be corpse in his hands became weaker, the greasy-haired man having already lost his will to fight. Kol's eyes were closed, all his senses focused on the liquid running down his throat and electrifying every inch of his body. Oh blood... Oh sweet, delicious blood...

After a while, the blood stopped coming and he let the body fall to the ground. What a pity, only seventeen people. All dead now, their limbs twisted in odd angles and their throats ripped apart. Some still had their eyes wide open, although all they could now do was to decay quietly.

Kol's gaze fell on the body lying at his feet. Crouching, he jabbed the cold bluish skin with his finger, then opened one of its eyelids. In front of the lifeless eyes, Kol tilted his head and sighed, "People, these days. Why couldn't you be just a little bit more clever? Choosing your victims wisely is one thing, but the number of people in your group is also very important, you know. Only seventeen, really... Why not thirty? The more, the merrier! I hope that in your next life, you'll be less stupid and take more friends with you before crossing my path."

He stood up and wiped off the blood from his lips with his thumb.

"Still need more efforts to eat properly," he noted before licking his finger. He turned and left. There was nothing here but food for the vultures.

***

He walked slowly, with only the moon as his witness. He had very little with him, only a bundle on his shoulder containing his meager possessions and the little things Nora had held dear. The castle with his bitter memories was already far behind him and the little thieves buffet had helped him to relax. The sky was almost completely clear and the few clouds couldn't hide the bright light of the moon and the stars. It... almost felt good, to be there, under an open sky.

The more he walked, the more the scenery changed. Trees became a rarity. Soon, the salty smell of the sea reached his nostrils and he couldn't help wrinkling his nose. He had chosen a random direction, and now he faced a dark sea, with blocks of ice floating. So much for a sunny place. At least it was new, for he definitely had never been there before.

He made to turn back when the most particular feeling hit him hard. One moment, he felt empty. The next, life was filling his dead body. He could feel Nora breathing, even though she was far away from him. He could hear her heart beating in her chest at the same pace as his. He could almost smell her, feel the bright fire hiding under her skin.

It was the first time he felt the complete bond since he had become a creature of the night, and he could only stand still for several minutes. No doubt with the most stupid expression plastered all over his face.

So, Kamil and Nora had been right. Two Nora couldn't be in the same place. One had to leave.

He inhaled deeply and his face split into a wide smile, his heart bursting with happiness. In the split second that followed, he was gone, leaving behind him only echoes of his laugh.