Chapter 02
“Veronique?” An unfamiliar voice asked quietly, causing Myriam to snap around to the man. “Oh, my apologies, milady, I was mistaken. I saw you pacing, just as she would, around this same fountain. Sometimes I wonder…”
So this man was her father? What a pitiful excuse of a man! He was fat, his hair was receding, and that beard of his looked hideous. But then again, wealthy people could look whatever they wanted to look like. It was money that was the attraction in most cases. “Who was she? You speak of her as if she’s to be missed.”
“Oh, it is nothing to talk about to a stranger,” he smiled kindly at her.
“I have nothing better to do than to listen, good sir,” she replied with a slight curtsy as she pointed at one of the benches in the garden. “Sometimes it does one good to lighten the heart into the ears of a stranger.”
The man let out a breath and nodded. “Perhaps you’re right. Are you certain?”
“My lord, you are a master of this house, are you not? You can do whatever you wish,” she replied as she sat down on the bench and held out her hand. Oh, while she never had her mother’s training, her mother had, of course, taught her a few things about men and the rules in royal homes. Perhaps her mother had been training her in case that one day, she’d be swept away to serve herself and had wanted to make the transition less of a burden.
Myriam, of course, never wanted this life for herself. She preferred to march to her own drum.
The man took her hand and sat down next to her. “Veronique was my favourite courtesan, many years ago,” he replied as he looked at her. “I’m sorry, perhaps this is not the best subject to discuss with a lovely lady as yourself.”
“It’s flattering that you believe I’m a lovely lady, my lord,” she smiled at him. “But I’m in service of someone present at your lovely ball. There is nothing that I haven’t seen or heard before.” If this man was still so very smitten by her mother, then why hadn’t he come looking for her, and his child? She could smell a little bit of alcohol on his breath, perhaps that was the reason why he was so… sentimental. “Please continue, perhaps it will do you some good.”
“Veronique was a beautiful woman, kind, big-hearted and no task was too hard for her. She worked her way up the ranks and when she became my courtesan, my favourite, I could not help but spoil her and to spend every single minute of every day with her,” he smiled, slightly blushing. “Members of my family were quite jealous, she didn’t have it easy.”
“I bet,” Myriam smiled kindly, but deep inside, she wanted to crush this man’s skull with her bare hands. Unfortunately, she wasn’t that strong of her own. She could feel one of her amulets burn against her chest and after quickly looking at it, she wasn’t surprised. It was a son of Azazel, the god or demon of war, depending on who you’d ask. She allowed him out as not to burn a hole in her chest but kept him back so he could watch.
“What’s that on your chest, milady?”
“Oh,” she let out a nervous laugh. “I forgot that the material doesn’t agree with my body sometimes, it’s nothing to worry about, my lord. Please, tell me more about your beloved Veronique,” she put a hand on his knee and squeezed it for encouragement.
“She had beautiful dark hair, eyes, and skin. She looked like an exotic princess. A lot like yourself, but your skin is fairer than hers. Like yourself, she had a beautiful face and a great posture. She was a dream come true. I was married, of course, and for a while, my wife and Veronique got along quite well. But my wife and I were trying for another child, which would be our last, but the Gods weren’t in our favour. Instead, Veronique fell pregnant.”
“I can’t imagine that went well with your wife.” She didn’t know whether to be happy or to be angry at the fact that she was the youngest. Relieved, maybe?
“We kept it hidden for as long as we could, I promised Veronique I’d find a way to leave my wife for her, but when the family found out, they sent her away while I was out of town for business,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Ever since she left, there’s been a hole in my heart, and my wife and children weren’t able to fill it.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Myriam replied as she could see the guilt and grief written all over him.
“I have a painting of her, would you like to see?”
“I’d like that, yes,” she smiled at him. Anything to get one last glimpse of her mother. Anything. She followed him to his private bedroom where her mother’s portrait was hanging above the fireplace. She looked absolutely beautiful, and she could now see why Kol wanted her to wear the dress that she was wearing and why her hair had to be exactly like this. Myriam looked like a cheap copy of her mother’s greatness, enough to get her father to bite and for her to reel him in. “You’re right,” she said in but a whisper, trying not to allow the tears that were pricking behind her eyes. “She is beautiful.”
“Yes,” he sighed happily. “Sometimes I do wonder what happened to her. Where she is now and if she’s doing alright.”
“And what of the child, my lord? Aren’t you curious to your offspring?”
“My child,” he huffed. “Would be a half breed. Son or daughter of a Medici and a whore. Had Veronique been allowed to stay I would have raised the child as my own but no, I never wondered about my progeny. I’ve had my hands full with those I already have.”
Myriam balled her fists again, silently commanding her demon to take a few steps closer to oppress the man somewhat. “I can tell you exactly what happened to Veronique du Mer,” she said as she looked at the man. “She’s dead. She died in poverty from consumption. Nearly four years ago now.”
“And how do you know this, milady?”
She took a step closer so that the firelight lit her face more. “You can see it with your own eyes. You saw it already and dismissed it, perhaps in denial. You already know who I am!”
The man looked at her in shock. “No!”
“Yes,” she angrily said as she motioned for her demon to take possession of her father. “Get his family in here. Now!” she commanded him and watched at the demon marched her father out of the bedroom. Kol was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorpost with a cocky smile on his face. “You orchestrated this!”
“I did,” he said as he watched the demon father pass him as he didn’t exist and entered the bedroom. “As I told you, you plan, you anticipate, and you’re patient,” he said as he took the painting of her mother down. “We’re taking this, I assume?”
“You assume correctly,” she said as she started to look around for things that she could throw in the fireplace. To, somehow, diminish her father’s wealth. “He never even looked for her! For me!” she cried out loudly as she kicked over a bucket. “He professes his love for my mother, but he never went and looked for us!”
She grabbed five of her amulets and unleashed all five demons. “Create as much panic and mayhem as you wish,” she commanded. “Let the blood flow freely!”
“Uh, darling?” Kol piped up, slightly turned on by Myriam’s behaviour. “Can I make a small request?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“Have them take out the resident witch? I wasn’t aware of her during my initial exploration of this palace, but it seems like they have a tiny witch on hand and she’s about to mess with our little visit.”
Myriam scowled as she quickly approached the vampire. “What do you speak of? Surely you can take out a witch on your own with your wealth of knowledge. Why do you need my demons for that?”
“Because she’s being protected by five vampire hunters,” he replied. “Ones that were created by magic and that if you’d kill them, you’d get mad for a very long time. Niklaus suffered through the curse for fifty years, and I won’t like it to be me next.”
She could not help but let out a small laugh. “Vampire hunters? Is it even possible for a vampire to go insane? That would certainly make for an interesting study,” she mused as she glanced away thoughtfully. Shrugging, she sighed. “Very well. I’ll have them take care of your little hunters and protect poor Monsieur Mikaelson. I will make sure you won’t be scratched.”
“Darling, they’re no joke!”
“I heard you. You’re terrified of them. I’m intrigued. I’d like to see them for myself to see what you are so excitable over. And take anything that isn’t pinned down that we may be able to sell for some gold.”
“We only have a small carriage.”
“I don’t care!” Myriam blurted. “We’re taking things! You promised me! I can take what I want!”
“I did say that…” Kol ran a hand through his hair as he quickly thought of a solution. “Okay, curse the entire family, have them leave this place. I’ll compel everyone who’s not in the family and currently merely visiting and then we’ll find the ownership papers of this home and find a lawyer somewhere tomorrow to sign the entire, freaking estate over to you! A bloody palace for a bloody princess and perhaps even more properties all across the continent!” he responded. “But for god’s sake, darling, kill those hunters before they kill us!”
Myriam pursed her lips as she leaned against a chaise in the room as she eyed the vampire. “You are aware that you are no fun when you are upset. Yes?”
“There is a reason I’m upset!” He moved to one side of the room as demon father walked in with his family. “Please.”
She smiled at him, shifting her attention to her family. “There may be more supernatural creatures visiting. Ones that are not a part of our agreement,” she spoke to her demons. “Any witch, or creature of magic, that is not myself or my pet vampire here, I want you to destroy them.”
Kol growled. “I’m not your pet, Darling.”
“Oh, you truly are with the way you’re behaving now!” She released two more of her demons and kept one with her for protection as she looked at her father’s wife and three sons. “Hello, I’m your baby sister,” she smiled deviously. “Father never bothered to look for me, or my mother, so instead, I came looking for you.”
“If you’re here for money, we don’t respond well to threats!” The oldest son threatened her, causing Myriam to walk up to him and pulled him down to her level. “Let go of me!”
She estimated his age and grinned as she clutched her remaining amulet that held a demon in it, she could feel its energy flowing through her. “In the name of the dark Mother Hecate, I curse you, and your progeny for eternity. You shall find misfortune wherever you turn, and everything you touch will turn into dust.” She repeated that a few times before placing the man’s hand on his brother’s shoulder who immediately dried out and crumbled on the floor, to dust.
She then turned to the youngest brother, grabbing him tightly by the hair. “In the name of the dark Mother Hecate, I curse you and your progeny for eternity. Your spouses will die fifteen years after baring you a child. One, and only one. Even when you’ll surround yourself with multiple spouses, you’ll only get the one child. I curse you.”
Myriam then turned to Kol as she sought contact with her demons who were doing as they were told. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Eat her,” she said as she pointed at the woman.
“Really?”
“Why should I have all the fun?” Myriam smirked as she then turned to her father, who was still possessed by her demon while the woman screamed when Kol sunk his teeth into her. “And you. You should have done better. I invoke the Dark Mother Hecate to curse you and your brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins and other generations of Medici. Your luck has run out. The moment you set foot outside this building, you will be chased by angry mobs of people. Forever, until you and your entire family dies. Everything you own is mine and will always be mine. Set foot in any of my property and you shall burn. I curse you!”
Bella then addressed the demon inside her father. “You will stay with him until he dies. You will report to me every month. You’re going to have them sign everything over to Veronique du Mer and her children and keep the papers on this premises until I come back to get them. Once he dies, you will protect those papers. Have I made myself understood?”
“Yes mistress, I’ll do this gladly for you. Can my brethren stay with me?”
“Once they’re done, they can stay here and protect this palace,” she nodded before looking at Kol, she was surprised he wasn’t done yet. “Anything else, Kol?”
He dropped the body on the floor and wiped his mouth. The feeding had taken his mind off of the hunters, but only for a little while. “How are your demons doing?”
“They’re dead, your big bad hunters and that witch. They did find another vampire, though, want to meet her?”
“Her?”
“Oh yes,” Myriam smiled as she took her painting with her and looped her arm through Kol’s. “She’s trying to escape, and right now my demons are cornering her and ushering her into the ballroom.”
“Really now? Oh, darling, we could use her for target practice for your magical abilities,” he said all happy. “But did you know, I can compel other vampires? I could have her help me compel the rest of the guests to get them out of your palace.”
“Really? You never told me you could do that.”
“Ah, that’s one of the perks of being an Original vampire, darling, we can compel the non-Original ones!”
“Well then, let’s go and check out that vampire, perhaps she’ll be able to provide us with some entertainment once you’re done with the guests.”
The vampire was screaming to fight whatever was chasing her and Myriam ordered her demons to poke her to see if she’d scream louder, her screams filling the ballroom along with those of the guests running out of the ballroom because of the commotion. “Catch them before they leave, I’ll entertain her for a bit,” Myriam said as she gently pat him on his shoulder. “And feed when you have to, I mean, take what you want, right?” She watched him go after the fleeing horde of people and how he used his speed to compel the most of them, before entering the ballroom. “Shut your mouth already!” Myriam demanded as she looked at the frightened vampire. Myriam was taller. The vampire had dark brown hair, which was messy right now but there were certainly some curls in there that weren’t natural, and her face was truly ashen. “Well done boys,” she smiled at her demons. “Care to stick around?”
“Her fear feeds us, lady Myriam, thank you.”
“Ah, stay then, feed!” She grinned as she approached the girl vampire. One of her demons was holding her back so that she wouldn’t hurt Myriam. “What’s your name then?”
“None of your business!”
She nodded then, causing the closest demon to use his energy to influence the vampire even further. “What’s your name?”
“Go to hell!”
“Oh, ma puce,” Myriam sighed as she squatted down to look at the vampire with a smile on her face. “I don’t need to go to hell, I bring hell with me. Now, tell me your name. I’m not going to ask again.”
“Go to hell!”
Myriam got back to her feet and decided to try a spell on her that Kol had taught her. She reached out with her hand and imagined squeezing a heart. It was the intent that gave a spell power, words mattered, but the intent was the most important and all Myriam wanted right now was to hurt someone.
The vampire was screaming again, and Myriam just smiled as she watched the vampire clutch her heart.
“Did you just call our guest a flea?” Kol asked as he walked into the ballroom, the vampire obstructed from his view because of Myriam blocking it.
“Yes, because she’s not telling me her name,” she said as she turned to Kol and seeing him at all levels of being dishevelled, covered in blood. “Couldn’t you at least have fed normally? Or cleaned yourself up?”
“Why bother, darling?” He countered happily before looking at the vampire. “Oh, but I know her! She’s Niklaus’ little plaything! Or she was before she turned herself into a vampire and ran off! Hello Katerina.”
“Oh great,” Katerina said with a strangled voice as Myriam was still clutching her heart with her spell. “It’s the maniac.”
Myriam gave Katerina’s heart another squeeze. “How did this bitch become your brother’s plaything?”
“I told you about the curse, didn’t I?” Kol asked as he joined his witch’ side. “It requires the blood of a doppelganger, and this one here was a doppelganger of the one that the curse was bound with. Elijah had a perfect exit strategy for her, he would be able to save Katerina’s life, but she had other plans. She got her hands on vampire blood and killed herself. Niklaus would love her head on a silver platter for her betrayal.”
Myriam’s eyes grew dark then. She didn’t know Kol’s brother, she had never met him, but betrayal was never right. “Target practice it is,” she said darkly, releasing the vampire from her grasp. “Can you compel her to cluck like a chicken?”
“Unfortunately… the rumour goes that Katerina has been ingesting Vervain ever since she turned to make sure that she wouldn’t be able to get compelled.”
Myriam looked at him before looking at Katerina in disgust. “Well then… let’s see if my pets can clear her system from that…”
“Darling, you don’t need your pets to torture her. Use your magic, she’s not going anywhere!”
“No!”
“Use your magic, stop relying on your pets!”
“It’s what I’m good at!”
“Exactly! They’re toi doudou!”
“Take that back!”
“Doudou!”
Myriam growled as she took a step closer to him. “Take that back!”
“Dou. Dou.” Kol laughed. “You already used some magic on her, do it again! It’s not that hard!”
“Lady Myriam,” the demon that was holding Katerina down was trying to get her attention. “She is wearing me out.”
“Then switch places,” Myriam snapped. “We’re not done here yet!”
“Yes, we are,” Kol used his vampire speed to get all of her amulets off of her and broke them all, releasing the demons in the process.
“Cochon!” Myriam slapped him in the face. “How dare you taking away my pets! You wouldn’t touch them, you said!”
“Darling, Katerina is getting away, what are you going to do about it?”
She narrowed her eyes at him as her hand shot out in the direction of Katerina and made a yanking motion, causing the vampire to slide back on her ass. “Happy?” she snapped at him.
“Ah, you can do better than that, how about inflicting some damage?”
“I’d like to keep my palace in the same condition we found it in.”
Kol nodded. “A little bit too late, darling as your fountain is now spouting out blood instead of water.”
Myriam scowled as she magically pulled Katerina along with her towards the garden while the vampire struggled against the invisible rope and being unable to scream before Myriam used her magic to throw her into the fountain and held her down. Liking the way the vampire kicked up the red water for a very long time before nothing. The monster had drowned.
Sighing, Myriam sat down on one of the benches in silence as she looked at the fountain.
“That’s it?”
“Shut up,” she pouted. “I ruined my dress!”
He sat down next to her and put his arm around her. “You know, darling, if you weren’t such a talented witch with extreme potential that I like to spend time with, you’d make a cute little devious vampire that I’d certainly love to hang around with.”
“My dress.”
“Then take it off,” he shrugged. “This is your home now, remember, you can do anything you want.”
“I want Florence to drown in blood. No, I want the entirety of Tuscany to drown in blood. I want you to pay for taking away my pets!”
“Oh, hold on,” he held up his hands. “I only released one,” he said as he pulled the amulets out of his pocket. “I had to push you over the edge somehow. And I am sorry, but you know that I am right. You are hiding behind your demons while you’re perfectly capable of doing magic. You can do more damage with your magic than your pets.”
“I see that now,” she said as she took the amulets. “But I still like my pets, and it already hurts that most of them are staying here to protect the property.”
“Alright, let’s go home. We’ll get cleaned up, gather our stuff and head back home, what do you say?”
She nodded before using her magic to drag the unconscious Katerina out of the bloodied water. Myriam then focused as she pulled another demon out of the other dimension and bound it to her necklace, one that looked to be made with a lapis lazuli gemstone, just like Kol’s daylight ring. Katerina would never take it off if she didn’t want to burn in the sunlight. “I command you to keep an eye on Katerina. You will not influence her in any way, but you will stay with her until I call for you. Understood?”
“Yes, milady.”
“Thank you,” she said to the demon before snapping Katerina’s neck and stepped over her on her way to the exit. “Where’s my painting? Because that thing is coming with.”
“It’s already in the carriage, darling. Now, if I were you, I’d cast a little spell to revoke all access to this palace for vampires, it would clean her out on her own. And me, but I hope to be outside before you cast it.”
“No, the demons will take care of her. And of any trespasser, vampire or not. Perhaps when I return someday, I might, for my own protection, but until then, my demons will handle things.”
“Alright,” he said as he guided her towards the carriage. “Did you have fun, darling?”
“Best ball ever! Can we do that again someday?”
~o.O.o~
Myriam was careful indeed when picking the Vervain on their way back to Spain. She hung it on one side of the carriage to dry out the leaves faster and had made a tea from it. Kol stayed well clear of it, but he was surprised that she didn’t think the tea was disgusting. Vervain was a very acquired taste. By the time they crossed into France, she had collected all of her herbs for her powerful protection tea.
Kol believed it was time. If he was going to introduce her to his family and hopefully have his siblings take her in as she so desperately craved for a family, she needed to be even more protected, be ready for contingencies. Such as accidentally turning. In a family like his, you’d never know who’d throw a temper tantrum. He produced a page he had torn out of one of the grimoires he had found in the library in Florence and handed it to her.
“What is this?”
“It’s everything you need to make daylight rings or amulets,” he explained. “For vampires to use, but mostly for your own protection. I want to introduce you to my family.”
“Ah, fickle vampires.”
“Yes,” he let out a small chuckle. “My sister Rebekah can get quite jealous and go into a blind rage. My brother Niklaus has anger issues and me? For some reason my family makes me want to kill all the bloody time, and I’m not sure if I can contain myself around them.”
“But what if I don’t want to be a vampire?”
“You can still make use of your demons, darling. As a demonologist you won’t need magic to do so, the power is in your belief, intent, and words,” he reminded her. “And you don’t have to be a vampire, not if you don’t want to, but should something happen and you’d turn, I’d love it if you’d make the transition so we can have more parties together.”
“Can I think about that?”
“Of course, but I still want you to start making these for yourself. At least to have them to hand them to vampires who don’t have them yet. They’ll be loyal to you for giving them the gift of freedom, to walk in the sun, and they’ll protect you from other supernatural beings.”
“Like my pets.”
“Yes, but more tangible. I don’t want to leave you unprotected. Therefore, the next carriage we’ll pass, I’ll kill the inhabitants, and you’ll get their jewellery to play with. We can pick up the gemstones in Nice.”
“Nice? I don’t think I am ready to go back home yet, Kol.”
“Then you’ll stay on the outskirts while I get you the stones,” he kissed her hand. “But the sooner you have those trinkets, the better.”
She nodded then and let out a breath as she read the paper. “Should be easy enough, right?”
“Yes. I believe it won’t take you long to master it and when you do, I want to teach you how to create dark objects. Also for your protection.”
She looked at him and felt that something was off. “Why are you all about me needing to protect myself all of a sudden? Are you going somewhere? Are you leaving me?”
“No, darling, don’t you fret,” he smiled at her and kissed her. “I merely want you to be able to protect yourself in every way possible when we go and meet my siblings. No doubt what happened in Florence has gotten round to them, and it’s likely they won’t be happy about it. My brothers are stronger than I am so your pets won’t do much to them unless you get stronger ones.”
“That’s not without danger.”
“I know, hence I want to teach you how to make dark objects, and have you use your natural magic so you can protect yourself.”
“And you.”
“Ah, don’t worry about me, darling, I’m used to being the black sheep of the family! They’ll adore you!”
It felt as if years of knowledge had suddenly been crammed into her head on their way to Spain and if it hadn’t been for their frequent sexual escapades, she wouldn’t have been able to deal with it all. She had also made a new mini army of demons on their way over to Spain, after having left all of them occupied in Italy.
She had taken a handful of creepy looking dolls in Marseille and had attached her demons to them, just to unnerve Kol, and it was hilarious. Ever since Marseille, the dolls were at one side of the carriage, and she and Kol were on the other, and for some reason, Kol felt as if the toys were staring at him at all time. It was fun. A lot of fun.
Of course, during sex, she’d put the dolls away because even that was going too far for her.
She wasn’t nervous about meeting Kol’s family. If anything, after all the stories he told her, she was more than curious about Klaus and Rebekah. She wasn’t sure about Elijah yet, because Kol had told conflicting stories about him. One of him being a fountain of knowledge, and other stories about him being an absolute stick in the mud and needing to control everything, including his siblings.
But she was so happy to be able to get out of the carriage without having to get back in again that she happily jumped out of it and released the horses herself. “Go run, friends, you deserve it! Make some whoopee, build a family!”
“Those were good horses!” Kol complained.
“And they served us well!” Myriam countered. “They deserve to be free. That’s what I do with all my pets who served me well. Except for you. I can’t seem to get rid of you!”
“Ha!” Kol barked out a laugh. “Fat chance, darling. Leave your belongings inside, we’ll get someone to take your bits and bobs to our room.”
“Our room?” she blinked at him. “Our room?” she repeated, a bit more force behind her words. “Excuse me, but just because we’re having sex doesn’t mean we need to share a room!”
“Yes, our room. Until I’m certain that my siblings won’t try to kill you. It’s not every day that I’m bringing someone home to meet my family. A wonderful lady, at that.”
“Lady?” Myriam shook her head. “I am no lady!”
“I know that. Your farts smell terrible, and you stink up the carriage when you do it! Ladies don’t fart!”
“Dried blood stinks worse! I told you time and time again, to be discrete and careful of your clothes, but noooooo. Seriously, tie a napkin around your neck! How hard can it be?!”
Frustrated, Kol pushed her towards the closed door. “How about I bite down your breast and use you like a wet nurse?”
“I’m on vervain,” she winked at him. “I’d like to see you try!”
The door opened then, revealing what looked like one of Kol’s brothers. “Brother, you finally made it home,” he greeted him.
“Darling, meet Elijah, Elijah, meet… her. She refuses to give me her name.”
“Interesting,” he said as he gently took her hand and kissed it. “Come, you must be weary of your journey.”
“Ah, another Mikaelson with impeccable manners,” she said as she withdrew her hand and stayed close to Kol. “Tell me, are you a messy feeder as well?”
A small smile danced on Elijah’s lips then. “I assure you that Kol is in a class of his own.”
“I thought so,” she said as she had her hand on one of her amulets around her neck. While yes, her dolls in the carriage were possessed, she still carried one or two demons with her on her person. “You’re not even surprised he brought someone home?”
“There is no doubt that you’ll end up as his next meal,” Elijah replied. “My apologies, for being so blunt, miss. But Kol’s conquests don’t last very long.”
“Good thing I’m not a miss nor a conquest then,” she said as she looped her arm through Kol’s. Elijah was incredibly unnerving to her senses.
“Wait!” a girl squealed from one of the rooms they passed, and a blonde head popped out. “You’re married?!”
“Oh hell no,” Myriam shook her head. “I’m merely saying I’m not a miss. Nor a lady. I’m no angel. Not anymore.”
“She’s a vampire at heart, believe me,” Kol said to his sister. “Rebekah, meet her. Darling, this is my sister Rebekah.”
“Her name is ‘her’?”
“No,” Myriam smirked. “I just never felt he was worthy enough to know my name. Not yet, anyway.”
Rebekah raised an eyebrow then. “For my brother to have kept you alive you must be quite special.”
“Who says she’s not keeping me alive?” Kol blinked at his sister. “Honestly, Bekah, I do know how to treat people just fine.”
Another door opened, and a man with dirty blond hair and beautiful blue eyes peeked out but didn’t say anything. Myriam thought he was even more handsome than Kol. There was something about him that made her heart beat just a little bit faster.
“How did you two meet?” Rebekah asked curiously.
“Oh, he kidnapped me,” Myriam nodded.
“What!” Kol exclaimed in shock. “You kidnapped me, first! And my kidnapping was a lot more gentle than what you had planned for me!”
“True,” she shrugged. “But I am kidnapped. He’s not willing to let me go.”
“That is ridiculous,” Rebekah huffed as she hit her brother on the arm. “Why aren’t you willing to let her go?!”
“She doesn’t want to go, and once you get to know her properly, you’ll want her to stay as well. For the last year and a half, I’ve been teaching her all I know, including English because one thing that I do know about her is that she’s French. She is not a mere witch, she’s special.”
“I hate that word, special,” Myriam scowled as she let go of Kol and started to explore the home on her own while the siblings talked amongst themselves. It was fine if they talked about her, as long as she wasn’t around to hear it. As she explored, she found another library that was at least the same size as in the Mikaelson home in Florence, and a study that overlooked the vineyards outside. It had some art supplies laying around and whoever was the painter in the family was quite the talent.
Looking at the portraits hanging on the wall, she couldn’t help but notice a familiar technique used on the painting that was in her possession and currently still on the carriage. Angry, Myriam marched back to Kol with her eyes narrowed at him. “You knew all along!”
“Excuse me?”
She walked outside to the carriage, took the painting off of the luggage rack and walked right back in with it. “Someone in this house painted this! You knew!”
“Darling, I did tell you that Niklaus and Elijah were at the court of Medici two hundred years ago.”
“She wasn’t alive two hundred years ago!”
Rebekah just smiled as she watched the girl go off on her brother and he was taking it. Elijah had paled just a little, and when her eye caught the painting, she could see why. “My brothers tend to keep their political allies close, and introduce themselves to every new generation to continue their business, their protection.”
“Speaking of the Medici family, Kol, were you in Florence a couple of months back?”
“Uh,” he said impishly.
Myriam turned her eyes on him as her hand reached up to grasp her necklace.
“I honestly can’t remember, she and I have had so much fun over the last year and a half…”
“But that painting was in Florence,” Elijah pointed out. “Niklaus gifted it to one of the brothers who remained at home.”
Myriam glared back at the senior vampire. “I do not know what your business is with those cochons but it is terminated and someone new has taken over.”
“There is not a family left to do business with, mademoiselle,” Elijah replied calmly. “I received word that there had been trouble and when I went to investigate I came into an empty house, rotting bodies on a pile, a fountain of blood and some ashes in one of the bedrooms. There was no Medici in sight.”
She appeared unfazed but perhaps a little proud. “I did enjoy that fountain.”
“So it was you!” Rebekah said to her brother.
“It wasn’t me! Well, some of the bodies were, but it wasn’t me!”
“It was not him. It was myself, though I did give him permission to feed on some. Impressive, no?”
Elijah’s jaw fell on the floor as he looked between his youngest brother and his witch before he collected himself and looked at the young woman. “Do you have any idea what you did?”
“She was likely taking her revenge, brother,” the unnamed brother finally left his door and joined his family and the girl with the painting. “I remember painting this woman, Veronique. She was a very valued member of the Medici court when we visited last. I heard stories about her being dismissed upon falling pregnant with one of the Medici’s and no one has ever heard of her or her offspring since.”
“She’s dead,” Myriam replied solemnly. “She died of consumption nearly 4 years ago, leaving me alone after it claimed the lives of our friends and family.”
“I am truly sorry to hear that, love. Your mother was quite an amazing woman,” he smiled kindly before extending his hand. “Klaus Mikaelson.”
She took his hand and shook it. “Pleasure. My name is Myriam.”
“That it?” Kol said surprised, not believing what he was hearing. “That’s it? That’s all it took?! I went a year and a half not knowing your name and my brother telling you a story about some painting is what did the trick?!”
“Not some painting!” Myriam shot at him. “And unlike yourself, your brother feels like he can be trusted blindly. With you, you never know what you get! Those are your words, not mine!”
“I like her,” Rebekah smirked as she took Myriam’s hand. “Come, let me find you a room. Don’t worry ducky, you’ve survived Kol for a year and a half, no one’s going to hurt you.”
“Oh, I have no concerns about that,” Myriam replied as she smiled at her. “But he was worried.”
“Of course he would be. No one he’s ever brought home lasted very long, but you’ve endured him for longer than most,” Rebekah replied as she opened the spare bedroom. “This one is the only one not taken, but if you prefer to have Kol’s bedroom that’s on the other side of this one, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind switching.”
Myriam looked around. It was more than just a bedroom. It had a desk, a bookcase, a luxurious bed and enough space for her to move around. Her creepy dolls could sit in a corner. There were paintings on the wall, and there was a beautiful view of the village below. “Oh, don’t bother, I can sleep everywhere,” she eventually said, although she was quite hesitant.
While she had been in more fancy homes, including the Mikaelson family home in Florence, and other elegant homes along their way back, she had never taken the time to get used to it. It was bed, sex and sleep for the most part. If she was going to stay here for a while, she wasn’t quite sure how she’d be able to keep up the pretence that this wasn’t too much.
“Are you sure?” Rebekah asked. “Because the other side of the house has a much better view!”
“I’m sure,” Myriam replied with a smile. “I’ll get my belongings from the carriage. You don’t mind dolls, do you?”
“Yes!” Kol could be heard from the hallway. “I do mind! Those things have been staring at us since Marseille!”
“Kol adores them, really,” Myriam smiled as Rebekah followed her towards the carriage and got one of her dolls out. “See?”
“Darling, are you feeling well? That doll looks quite unnerving?”
“Ah, they’re harmless, I promise,” she put a few in her bag and carried the rest. “If you do see one that you like, you can have it? A token of my appreciation for your warm welcome.”
“Oh, I can’t.”
“Too creepy, huh?” Myriam smiled at her. “How about one of my necklaces? Don’t you think they’re pretty?”
“Darling, I can have anything I want, you can keep your trinkets,” Rebekah eventually said as she followed Myriam back into her room. “In all honesty, the dolls look unclean. Dirty. Broken. Doesn’t quite fit the decor of this house.”
Myriam had to agree with that, but that didn’t matter, there were plenty of trinkets in her room that she could transfer her pets into and Kol wouldn’t even know. Perhaps until she would get rid of the dolls, but even then he’d have a hard time sussing out where they were. For all he’d know was that she released them. It was an excellent idea.
“How about I give you some time to settle in?” Rebekah smiled at her. “Feel free to have a look around the property and give a shout when you get lost, one of us will be able to find you.”
~o.O.o~
“It is impossible for a normal witch to have that kind of destructive power,” Elijah said as he was sitting in the sitting room with his siblings. “Are you sure that the only thing you’ve done was to feed on some of them?”
“Yes, Elijah,” Kol replied with a sigh, repeating what he had said before. “She is quite something. She’s intelligent, and there is no doubt in my mind that she can be an excellent manipulator. She’s powerful and a quick study. She spoke perfect English within five months. The speed that she picks up new information, new spells, is incredible, but her magic is dark. Very dark.”
“Fascinating,” Elijah replied. “I imagine you’ve taught her all of your tricks?”
“I taught her how to protect herself better in case something happens to me.”
“Now what would happen to you?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Nik, you lot could decide to dagger me again!”
Elijah released a frustrated sigh. “Kol. How do you know that she hasn’t manipulated you to get to our family? Perhaps a plant by our father to lower our defences as I’m sure he’s aware of your affinity for witches.”
Kol sighed. “When we first met, she didn’t even know what vampires were. That she disturbed me while I was feeding. I’m a messy eater, and I like my screamers, so she believed that I was taking advantage of a young lady like herself. She took me to the cabin she was staying at, not using her magic as she had a fundamental understanding of it, but she used… other skills. When she realised that she was in trouble with me around, she snapped my neck and ran.”
“Again, that could be a ploy.”
“Let me finish, Elijah,” Kol rolled his eyes at his brother. “I chased her and saved her from some angry farmer she was using the stables of for herself and her horse. The horse didn’t make it. It took her six months to open up to me about her life, her mother. She had this trinket belonging to the Medici family so I suggested we’d go on a trip to see daddy dearest and I promised her I’d continue teaching her as long as she didn’t hurt me. And as long as I didn’t do anything to hurt her, she wouldn’t do that.”
“You can’t tell me that she didn’t get on your nerves, brother,” Rebekah said as she sat down in her chair. “Besides, she’s a witch, she’s mortal. You could have killed her easily.”
“But I didn’t want her to leave, and as long as she didn’t want to leave, things were alright,” Kol replied with a smile on his face. “We passed a field of vervain, and she loved the colour of it, decided to frolic around in the field and bring a bundle back to spruce up our carriage. You should have seen the look on her face when she hurt me. It broke my heart.”
“Sounds to me as if she’s a good actress.”
“Elijah, I’ve spent the last year and a half with her. Every day. Every night. No actress is that good. Besides, if Father would have planted her, he would have chosen someone who wasn’t as poor as she was. He’d choose someone clean, well mannered and easy going. While she’s clean now and can have manners, she’s anything but. Father would have chosen someone who’s able to be compelled.”
“She’s not easy going? She’s a challenge for you, Kol!”
“It’s a game of survival, Elijah.” he shot at his brother. “For three years she travelled from Nice to Spain to get to a port in the hopes of gaining entry on a ship that would take her to the New World. To start her life over. She’s one tough cookie who hasn’t known kindness in a very long time. Mikael wouldn’t go for her, in fact, if he were smart, he’d stay well clear of her because I believe she does have the ability to kill him.”
Klaus had been silent to that point, listening about their new house guest and looked up in interest from his glass of bourbon. “Then perhaps we should utilise her skills should he come our way. What is it exactly she can do?”
“That’s not going to be easy, Nik,” Kol replied. “She won’t allow herself to be used, trust me, I’ve tried. However, you could try reason with her. We encountered someone in Florence that is a part of our history, and when I told her that, she was more than willing to do something so that she always knows what she’s up to.”
“Tracking spells are not uncommon unless she took the individual’s blood, Kol,” Elijah replied, bored of the subject.
“She doesn’t need spells to protect herself or others. In fact, through her actions, she killed the new Hunters of the Five, and she hasn’t gone mad because of it.”
Klaus’ head turned in the direction of the guest room, curiosity piqued in his eyes. “That pretty thing killed the Five on her own?”
“With a little help of her pets, who stayed behind in the house in Florence.”
“I’ve heard these pets mentioned a time or two,” Rebekah frowned. “What are they exactly?”
“Myriam is a demonologist. She summons demons and attaches them to objects. Commands them to do her bidding, and she releases them when they have served her well.”
Elijah ran a hand over his face, realising that what they were housing was undoubtedly well beyond their element. Meanwhile, Klaus’ smile grew as he held his glass up to his lips. “We shall make certain she is as comfortable as she pleases. I certainly have no intentions of standing in the way of her dreams of the New World. Certainly, we can finance that if she could help us should we need it someday, hm?”
“She doesn’t work that way, Nik, and might I suggest you tread carefully when it comes to her? She will use everything she knows for harm if something doesn’t go the way that she wants it to go. Trust is to be earned, both ways, I understand that. But I trust her, and she trusts me. We’ve worked hard on earning our mutual trust. For her to give you her name like that… she must be attracted to you. Even when I told stories about my family, she wanted to know about you all. And you don’t know her. Get to know her before you ask for a favour. That’s all I ask.”
“Of course we have to use her against Mikael!” Rebekah cried out. “If she’s able to take him away then we could finally live our lives in peace!”
“Rebekah,” Kol shook his head. “I’ve contemplated asking her, especially since we went after her own father, but Mikael is something entirely different. She has her own way of looking at things. Please, get to know her the way that I have, and you’ll come to the conclusion that it’s not in our place to ask.”
Klaus stared at the wall of books in the room they were in, lost in thought. “I do not believe we have any prints on demonology. It would be a fascinating field to learn more of, I think.”
Kol gave him a disbelieving scoff. “Don’t be so sure of yourself. I won’t put it past her if she has one of her little demons in here spying on this conversation and reporting back to her.”
“So she doesn’t trust you,” Elijah pointed out.
“No, she doesn’t trust you,” he countered with a sigh. “Give her some time to acclimate to her new surroundings and then get to know her,” he then rose to his feet. “I’m going to check in on her, see if she needs anything.”
Rebekah’s face scrunched up. “But she wouldn’t give you her name? I don’t understand.”
“As I said before, sister, we have a mutual understanding. As long as I don’t hurt her, she won’t hurt me.”
“Perhaps I’ll join you,” Klaus offered, setting his glass down. “She appeared to like me. Maybe I can start a rapport with her.”
Kol shrugged then as he walked to Myriam’s bedroom and found her sitting in the middle of a circle of her creepy dolls. “Did you learn anything fascinating, darling?” He asked playfully.
A smile appeared on her face as she opened her eyes. “I’m not particularly fond of your brother.”
“Which one?”
“The one that’s not here,” she replied as she rose to her feet. “My apologies, it’s perhaps rude of me to instruct one of my demons to eavesdrop.”
Kol smirked as he glanced at Klaus. “I expected as much. I just thought I’d be the smart one to come and tell you everything in person.”
“I’m alright with you talking about me when I’m not in the room,” she replied. “I merely wanted to gauge the responses. Perhaps it would be best if I would find a different place to stay?”
“Nonsense,” Klaus spoke up as he sat down in one of the chairs in the room. “My family is naturally cautious when it comes to strangers in our home, especially when said stranger has formed a bond with our youngest brother.”
“I understand. You believe Kol’s unreliable and wild, but in all honesty, that’s not how I got to know him. He managed to reign himself in quite well over the last year and a half,” Myriam replied. “But I imagine you might be frightened by what I can do. I promise you unless I’m threatened or hurt, I’m not using my magic or my pets to protect myself. You have my word.”
“And I believe that. See? There’s no reason for you to find an alternative place of residence,” he told her. “And as we’ve said before, you’re free to roam the property. There’s no need for you to stay in this room.”
“I’ll come out when I want to, thank you, mon LouLou,” she smiled at him before sitting back down in the middle of her circle of dolls. She didn’t miss it that Klaus winced at her choice of nickname for him. And that pleased her greatly.
“Oh, I see how it goes,” Kol rolled his eyes at his friend. “He gets your name and a nickname on the same day!”
Myriam merely smiled at him, knowing that her silence unnerved him greatly.
He relented with a sigh. “We’re still having sex tonight!”
Myriam shook her head and used her magic to push Kol out of the room gently. It was harder to get Klaus out as he was seated and she’d have to move him and the chair, but Kol was trying too hard. “Not anymore, Mon Chou, but you’ll always have a special place in my heart,” she said before closing the door the moment Kol was outside.
“That’s not fair!” Kol whined from outside the door. “You can’t replace me like that!”
“There’s nothing to replace because there wasn’t anything,” Myriam said as she looked at Klaus who had an amused look on his face. “Kol told me about your family being meddlesome and in each other’s business, but I wasn’t aware that it was this bad.”
“When you’re as old as we are and have lived with each other for so long, a little codependency doesn’t hurt,” he replied. “It’s what keeps us together, as a family.”
“Kol told me about the vow you made with Elijah and Rebekah, always and forever, but why didn’t you include him? Is he really such a menace to you all that you refuse to give him the light of day?” Myriam questioned him. “Don’t get me wrong, Kol told me, and showed me, how he likes to have fun. He told me about his unstable emotions and insatiable bloodlust. But you do know that all he wants is to be loved by his siblings, don’t you? He doesn’t care about consequences because you don’t care about him.”
“You’re very perceptive, Myriam, but I don’t think you’re in the position to lecture me on how we function as a family.”
“Perhaps not, but over the last year and a half he significantly relaxed and became more at ease with himself and his troubles. And he became my family.”
“Did he now?”
“I lost mine, and when we met, we gave each other what we didn’t know that we needed. I gave him stability, he made me feel home.”
“And you had sex.”
She shrugged then. “We both have our needs. Kol was the first one where I didn’t feel like I had to, and that I could take control. I didn’t need to use myself as payment for services or favours.”
“And you never have to again.”
“I know that. My body is mine to give away, freely,” Myriam smiled. “On top of that, I think I’ve ended the entire Medici line, or at least thinned them out greatly. I have control over their estate through my mother. I had them sign everything over to her, and since she’s dead…”
“You didn’t give them your name?”
“Of course not, Kol would have found out,” she replied as a matter of factly. “It was a lovely thing to see him squirm and beg for my name all this time. I’m a little sad that it’s over.”
He was silent for a few moments as he watched her with her dolls. Unsure if Kol was able to hear them or not, if she placed a silencing spell on the room, he felt the need to ask. “So why give me your name? You do not know me, and I assure you, I’m known to kill just as freely as my brother.”
“Kol told me about you, and I felt a draw to you,” Myriam said after trying to find the right words. “Even when you peeked out of your room when we arrived, I could feel it. I knew it was you.”
“You cast a spell on my family?”
“No! I’d never!” She blushed then. “Perhaps, I’ll admit to having one of my pets follow Kol when he’s left me to assure he had kept his word. Nothing more, ever.”
“Then what is it that makes you so interested in me?”
“I think it’s kindred spirits. Kol told me all about your family, and about being vampires. Your story resonated with me, and I don’t know how to explain it. I’m very aware that you don’t know me and that I only know you from Kol’s experiences. But perhaps we could be friends? See where we end up?”
“Sweetheart, I’m a vampire. You’re mortal. You know it won’t work out.”
“Perhaps not, but there’s no reason not to try and open your heart a little bit. Everyone deserves to be loved, no matter how awful they think they might be. Because according to your rhetoric of your family being one of monsters, then what does that make me? I’m not a white witch. I pray to the dark Goddess Hecate for my power.” She then pointed at her dolls. “And I play with demons, who could seriously harm me if I don’t do it correctly. I had them kill your hunters. I had them do terrible things, and I’m not remotely remorseful. Because they earned my punishment. And in other scenarios, I needed to protect myself and my family.” Before he could say anything, she smiled up at him, her dark eyes meeting his blue. “There is beauty in darkness. Just because we live in the dark doesn’t mean we can’t love or be loved, either.”
