The Devil's Match | n.mikaelson

Chapter 11

⚠️ Quick A/N: violence and gore in this chapter along with some steeeeam but that'll be later. Perhaps a confession.⚠️

The rest of spring and the summer came and went. A few months had passed and it was now fall in New York City, the end of September. Gorgeous weekend getaways to the Hamptons turned to strolls in the countryside enjoying everything the fall weather had to offer. Going for strolls on the beaches turned into going for long walks in the parks for forests. Trips to the ocean turned to trips to the pumpkin patch. The leaves were changing color; the smells of pumpkin, vanilla, and spices in the air; and everything just had a bit more sweetness to it. The temperatures were getting cooler, it was the perfect weather to start wearing sweaters, and it was finally Cas and Karoline's favorite season. The girls had decked out the mansion for Halloween and for fall in general once the first day of September hit, the entire place being one of so many had dreamed of having as an aesthetic. It was perfect.

The girls' relationships were only getting better and better as the days went by.

Elijah made every effort to spoil Karoline with first editions of her favorite books, even somehow having got his hands on the original handwritten manuscript for The Great Gatsby. He'd even bought her a brand new necklace from Cartier worth 30 grand.

Klaus was always showering his girlfriend with clothes, jewelry, and always a fresh bouquet of her favorite flowers, red roses, every week. He switched it up sometimes, but every week there was always a new bouquet on her desk at work so she could see them every day.

Business was booming, both on the legal side and illegal. Cas brought in more revenue to Mikaelson Enterprises in just a few short months than they had seen in a year. She had reopened Ecstasy & Envy after having done a complete remodel, the place covered in shades of purple and silver now instead of red and gold. It had much more of a high-end air to it, the V.I.P. memberships a bit more elite. Her underground dealings in the art world were always a success and she had even gone a whole three months without killing someone.

Life was good. The only thing that wasn't so good were the increasing amount of nightmares Cas was having.

Cas hummed to herself as she walked toward her office with her phone in hand, Wesley at her side.

"You seem happier than you've been in a bit," Wesley pointed out with a smile.

"How can I not be? I have the best boyfriend, the best home, the best job, it's my favorite season, and my favorite holiday is a little over a month away!"

He let out a chuckle as he opened the door to her office and raised an eyebrow at the massive bouquet of lilies on her desk. "Who sent you flowers?"

"Oh! It was probably Nik again." She picked up the card that was in the flowers with a smile, but that smile was immediately wiped off her face and she went pale. "Wes..."

Wesley frowned and walked over, taking the card and reading it aloud. "'We've been silent for far too long. Watch your back. Signed, RM' What the hell? Who the fuck is-"

"It's Mark. He thought he was slick trying to switch his initials around." She rested a hand on her forehead and took a deep breath. "It has to be."

"I don't know about that. It's not his handwriting."

"But it has to be! Right..?" The two shared a look and gulped. "Can you check the cameras? And beef up security a bit more?"

"Already on it." Wesley left the room to go check the security cameras.

Cas sat behind her desk and immediately threw out the lilies in her garbage can, lighting a match to light the vanilla scented candle on her desk to get rid of the smell of the lilies.