Ardent | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 43

Lucien had saved her.

"It's going to take awhile to get you back in your real body," he said as they rode a limousine to the place he was apparently staying in within New Orleans. "But I believe I've got a witch who can get you into one that'll look just like your normal one. Rather talented, this witch of mine."

"Thank you, seriously," she said. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"You needn't repay me, love. All we need to do is make Klaus pay for what he's done to you. I will incinerate him for this. Put him through a thousand wicked torments because he's dared harm a hair on your head. And Elijah will suffer with him. That prick couldn't simply tell you that he wanted to break up, could he? He had to tell his brother to do the deed, to torment you. The Mikaelsons will fall for what they've done."

She hesitated. "I don't want it to affect his daughter. I may hate Klaus and Elijah but that little girl still means the world to me. And the others had nothing to do with this. Just help me contact Lucy, she'll get Kol and Rebekah to help me, and I'm sure Finn and Freya would help, too. I can get back into my real body then just... leave."

His lip twitched. "That... simply won't work for me, love."

He reached over to hold her head, "You don't care if they fall, too. You want us to defeat all the Mikaelsons, as we should have done a long time ago."

"I don't know why we hadn't," she murmured. "Should have been done sooner. Does this mean it's possible? Can the de-linking be done?"

"Soon, love. We'll figure that out after we get this all sorted out. We'll pop you into a new body just like your own and dispose of this one. Let Nik think you died. Once you're off his radar, you and I can really get to work on our plan."

"It needs to be a believable death."

"So, we stage a car accident with you trying to get to New Orleans or we stage a home invasion gone wrong. Anything could reasonably befall you when you are human and quite vulnerable. He'll be none the wiser."

"Okay, then, whatever you think is best."

"How much more cooperative you can be when you're able to be compelled," said Lucien, sighing happily. "If I'd only been able to do this ages ago, we'd already be ruling the world, you and I. That guilt ate away at you, Evangeliya. Refusing to make Elijah fall in love with you so we'd have an in. You cared so much, not wishing to anger them. You used to want to hurt Klaus so badly because even in 'freedom' you didn't feel free from him. You wanted to take from him everything he took from you, and then some. But Elijah corrupted you. You gave up on the idea. You forgot what I said to you. What did I say to you, love?"

He leaned forward, repeating fragments of past statements to her, "We have always been their betters. Born servants, with nothing to our names, we rose above and we became far superior. You just needed to see it, Evangeliya. We needed to break the chains holding us down and bring about their downfall. This is the path we were always destined to take. You had an advantage and then we lost it. But no matter. We shall kill Klaus and have what we deserved from the moment the Originals saw fit to hurt us– their downfall."

He caressed her face gently, "While it may hurt, knowing how Elijah broke your heart, it was about time you faced the truth. He was never going to respect you, love. He was going to end up hurting you. As would Klaus. You won't be free until they are both dead. You should have let them go a long time ago. You should have long since abandoned the toxic and patronizing Elijah Mikaelson. Instead, you let go of me. Your friend, your only true friend. Tristan helped you, yes, he cared for you, but not as much as I did. I've been the one constant, the one that was not weak enough to die and who always looked out for you. But I was not enough for you..."