Hellfire | Hayley Marshall

Chapter 18

It was... somewhat going.

The Crescent Curse was broken. Elijah's peace treaty was off to a rocky start, but a start nevertheless.

Klaus hardly seemed to care about what they were up to. He had a different woman in his bed every night, he had hardly cared to check in on Hayley, who preferred to live in the Bayou. It was as if his kingdom meant nothing to him anymore, and it was up to Elijah to keep things running smoothly while Klaus painted away all his frustration.

Eisa had been going to the Palace Royale Casino nearly every other day, getting a feel for what kind of person Francesca Correa was. Elijah's job with the treaty would be easier if she ensured that the human faction was being led by someone competent, at the very least. Hayley was advocating for the wolves, Diego for the vampires, and Cassie for the witches, which was a problem on its own, but something Elijah could handle far better than Eisa.

"You're going to the Casino again?" asked Hayley when Eisa stopped by the Bayou to give her more supplies.

"Yes, while Elijah meets with just the supernaturals," she said. "Remember, the meeting is at St. Anne's Church, at noon. Do you have a ride there, or do you need me to come and pick you up?"

"I don't know," said Hayley a bit coldly, "is Francesca gonna be riding along?"

Eisa didn't pick up on the jealousy. "No, I told you, the meeting is just for the supernaturals."

"Then, do you really need to go see her again today?"

"I need to distract her, Hayley, because I don't trust her, and the more I know about her, the better."

Hayley was displeased. Eisa found no interest, romantic or sexual, with Francesca. But Hayley could not see that, because she knew what Eisa worked as, and she had no way of knowing if the two would or had already slept together. She didn't like the thought of Eisa— her Eisa— flirting and bedding some woman she'd never even laid eyes on.

"Whatever," said Hayley, making her way back to Eve. "I'll get there on my own. Jackson has a car to take me in."

Eisa raised a brow. "I didn't know you and Jackson were close enough for him to be giving you rides into the city."

"Well, I wouldn't want to disturb you, now that visiting your new pal is on your schedule three times a week."

Only then did Eisa catch on to what she was feeling. Letting out a laugh, she followed after Hayley, who scrunched up her nose, thinking Eisa was mocking her.

"Don't be silly," said the Original. "I'm not working with her that way. If I had been, she'd already be dead. I have to be careful with this one, something is off about her. I can't risk going into her mind."

Hayley turned red. "I never said you were working with her like that."

"You sure you weren't a teensy bit jealous about my relationship with her?"

"Not at all," said Hayley unconvincingly. She sat down at the edge of the cabin porch, rubbing her palms over her swollen belly. "This baby can't come soon enough, can it?"

"Hear that, little one?" said Eisa, imagining her niece could hear her. "Your mama wants you out."

"That's a rude way to put it," the wolf commented, smirking a bit. "Stay as long as you want, sweetie. Mama's fine with it." She glanced up at Eisa. "I guess you gotta go, right?"

"I do," said Eisa. "But I'll be back to check on you soon. Don't worry about Francesca, alright? Nothing is going on between us. I think that she has a crush on Elijah. But she's suspicious of me, and we're evaluating each other."