We're more than friends

Chapter 12

Josie's POV

Running out of the door was Hope, quickly followed by her family and me. The only ones remaining in the Mystic Grill were Nik, because he was far too young to chase after a werewolf under the Necromancer's influence, and Keelin.

Once outside, the night air engulfed me in the coldness. The wind brushing up against my bare arms and legs. Shuddering in the night, I watched as the Mikaelson clan encircled Rafael. The streetlamp, the only source of light, accentuating Rafael's bleached eyes and monotonous face. Apart from us, the street was empty, no one could see the scene before me. In the distance, we could hear the faint barking of a dog and the rumbling noise of a car driving in the deserted streets of Mystic Falls.

Hope, with an emotionless face, was the first to break the circle, taking a step towards him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hope." Rafael said, his voice a mixture of his and the Necromancer's.

"Necromancer." She spat. "I would say it's a pleasure, but clearly it isn't."

"Always a charmer, much like your father." The mention of her father unsettled Hope, her shoulders flinched noticeably, even from afar, and her arms squeezed tighter around her chest. "He says hi."

The Necromancer knew what he was doing, he clearly saw the effect his words had on Hope, whose eyes flicked between blue and gold. Her arms were now by her side, her hands clenched into fists. MG had called me the night Hope had jumped into the Necromancer's subconscious, riddled with guilt. The way he had described how distraught she was... it broke my heart. Whatever happened then was clearly fresh in her mind. All I wanted to do was run up to Hope and pull her away from the Necromancer. I wanted to siphon all his magic away, make him suffer for ever hurting Hope. However, my feet felt like they were cemented to the ground, unable to move, only watch.

"Don't. You. Dare. Talk. About. My. Father." She said through clenched teeth. Even from a distance, I could see her fangs descending from her gums, wolf venom spewing from her mouth.

A deep dark chuckle escaped Rafael's lips. "Oh? Don't want to hear how much of a disappointment daddy's little girl is to him? He gave his life so you could what? Cry yourself to sleep and wallow in self pity? Despicable."

A growl reverberated through the street bouncing off the building walls. Before anyone could react, Hope had Rafael pinned down, her hand deep inside his chest with a tight grip on his heart.

"Hope, honey, that's enough." Rebekah said in a calming voice, stepping towards her niece. Her hand reached out and rested on Hope's shoulder who flinched at the touch. Whipping her head towards her aunt, her fangs bared and her eyes golden, her grip tightened around Raf's heart, if the whimper escaping his lips were any indication. Her aunt retracted her hand, the corner of her lips pulled down into a frown.

No one moved. The atmosphere around us was so dense, you could cut it with a knife. The Mikaelson's shared worried glances, each wondering how to settle this without any deaths.

In the silence of the night air, the sudden chime of the Mystic Grill entrance caught our attention. Keelin walked out with a sleepy Nik in her arms. After a quick glance at her family, Keelin saw the dire situation we were currently in. Her furrowed brows relaxed before striding towards me, careful not to wake her son.

"Go to her." She whispered once she reached me.

Head tilted slightly and a furrowed brow, I spoke.

"Why?"

"She'll listen to you." Was all she said. I stared at her blankly for a few minutes. Why would she listen to me if she reacted so poorly to her aunt? It didn't make any sense. "Go." Keelin said with a shooing motion. The cemented feeling disappeared as I started to walk.