WAR OF HEARTS • hayley marshall

40 | GRAVE OFFENSE

WARNING: you might need tissues for this chapter, depending on how quickly you cry.

After her slaughtering of the witches and warlocks, Khalia headed back home. She took a quick shower to get rid of the smell of blood – she had a long bath earlier so excessive scrubbing wasn’t necessary. She checked in on the cheeky pregnant werewolf – who was also apparently in love with her. (And didn’t that thought just heat her up with a soft, gooey warmth that left her with the desire to never stop smiling.)

Hayley was lying in bed, telling about her about the Other Side that was disintegrating – which made Khalia’s heart feel like it was being torn from her chest all over again as she thought about her twin brother, Hayley told her about her fight with Mikael, about how he badmouthed Klaus but the werewolf didn’t believe a single word out of his mouth, about how Elijah and Klaus was tormented in dreams with their father (which Khalia found a bit odd, because why was she spared?). Luckily she didn’t bring up her love declaration or Khalia’s confession of being afraid.

When Hayley fell asleep, Khalia tucked her blankets around her and finally left the werewolf’s room. The vampire fell into her own bed – more mentally exhausted than physically tired. Lulled by the sound of the two familiar heartbeats from next door, she was asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow.

Khalia opened her eyes, in her own room in the Compound right where she fell asleep, but found herself surrounded in a hue of blue that the vampire found incredibly odd. She got out of bed, walked out of her room and looked around. Then she remembered what Hayley told about Mikael hunting Elijah and Klaus in their dreams from the collapsing other side. Her whole body tensed tighter than a bowstring – if this was her turn and Mikael wanted a fight, he would get a fucking war.

A hand tapped her on the shoulder and she gripped it, speeding the attacker against wall of the hallway they were in. Her eyes widened when she noticed who it was – a pair of brown eyes that was exactly the same shade as hers, a cheeky smile that never failed to make her smile in return – it was someone she’d never thought she’d ever see again. Kol.

“Kol?” She whispered in disbelief, her voice coming out strangled. Her eyes burned and her throat tightened as she let go of her twin brother. Or rather, this vision of him. Because there was no way this could be real. Kol is dead. This was a dream. She had to be dreaming. That was the only possible explanation.

“Hello, Lia.” Dream-Kol smiled at her and Khalia couldn’t help but smile back even as her eyes blurred, warm tears falling down her cheeks.

“Well, this is most certainly the nicest dream I’ve had in a long time.” She let out a wet chuckle, not caring about her tears – not when she gets to see her twin again. In fact, she’d cry a river that will rival the Mississippi if necessary. Even if it was just a dream, she’d take anything. Kol wiped his sister’s cheeks. “I miss you.”

“It is not a dream.” He told her. Khalia’s heart stuttered in her chest. “And I miss you too. So much.”

“What do you mean?” The amount of wariness and hope was equally powerful, heart squeezing painfully in her chest.

“It’s really me.” Kol said with a gentle smile.

Khalia’s awed smile as she started realizing that this is real, that this is really Kol, her twin, was a sight to behold. “It’s really you?”