Ardent | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 32

Mikael was to be her roommate.

"No, no," Evangeliya whimpered, speeding to the door. She ran right into it, an invisible barrier keeping her inside. She beat her fists into it, banging and banging to no avail. "Let me out! LET ME OUT!"

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that," said Davina, holding out her hand. Evangeliya's body was yanked backwards, skidding to a halt beside Mikael, who sneered at her. "I need you both here for the time being."

"What for?" demanded Evangeliya. "Why is he here? What's happening?"

Davina sighed. "Klaus keeps taking it too far and after what he did to Josh, I want him dead. Mikael can kill him. But–" she motioned for Evangeliya to be quiet and not get ahead of herself, "I can't have Klaus die yet because he's still linked to Marcel, Josh, and... you. So, you're going to be here to help me complete the de-linking. You're from Klaus's sireline, and I can use you as a conduit to unlink Marcel and Josh. You'll be unlinked, too. And then, when it's done–" she directed herself toward Mikael, "not a moment sooner, Mikael will be let out to do what he apparently does best. Run Klaus out of New Orleans and kill him."

"They're going to come looking for me," said Evangeliya coldly. "I have people who care about me, and they're going to find me and they'll kill you for this."

The witch shook her head. "Actually, they won't." Her eyes dropped sadly. "Hayley and Klaus's baby didn't survive the fight. The Guerrera wolves have taken over the Quarter. Hayley's a hybrid now. Marcel and Josh are the only non-Original vampires alive out there. As for your witch friend, Lucy, well, she can try all she wants to uncloak you but I take it by the fact she left town that she thinks she'll do better checking all the places that mean something to you. I'm sorry, Evangeliya, but I can't risk Marcel and Josh's life. I need a vampire from their line as a conduit, and I also can't have you helping Klaus get stronger."

"So what happens to me after the unlinking?" said Evangeliya, side-eyeing Mikael. "You use me as bait to get Elijah away? Isolate Klaus?"

"Fortunately," said Mikael flatly, "my foolish son is infatuated with you and will gladly abandon the bastard if it meant your safety. Without Elijah to interfere, I will not be stopped from giving that whelp the fate he deserves."

Evangeliya's jaw tightened. "And how will you accomplish that? You don't have the white–"

Mikael pulled it out of his jacket pocket. "Actually, you were useful in helping us acquire this."

Her face fell, having no recollection of anything that she'd said regarding the white oak. She remembered seeing images of Rose, Elijah, and even Mikael. "How am I even alive? I was near death already when I got to the cemetery. Why... how...?"

"Mikael had the idea to find Klaus's blood from where Marcel fought him in the Quarter," said Davina. "He was the one who vouched for you to be kept alive."

Her eyes darkened. "I see. You were going to let me die after I saved Josh."

"I didn't want to, but I didn't see how to fix you," said Davina. "If Mikael hadn't had that idea, you wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, stuck in an attic with a vampire who feeds on other vampires and has tried on numerous occasions to kill my partner and his brother!"

"You helped him in the past, if I'm not mistaken."

"That was a different time, and in case you didn't hear, Mikael failed horrendously, and was the first Original vampire to die by white oak. You can't trust a man like this!"

"He'll get rid of Klaus," said Davina. "That's all I need. I'm sorry, Evangeliya. You'll be free to be with Elijah once the unlinking is complete."

"And how do you know Mikael won't just kill me and Elijah after he kills Klaus?"