Hellfire | Hayley Marshall

Chapter 51

Eisa was ready to die.

Finn's 'funeral' left her wanting to charge right into Lucien's penthouse, attack him, and leave herself equally deceased. She'd gripped Freya and Elijah's hands tightly throughout, listening to the kind words that came from her siblings' mouths to honor their brother. When it was her turn, she'd had to choke out the best eulogy she could give, which really was only her promising that they would see each other again.

"Sister," said Elijah, coming to her side after they'd returned to the Compound. He offered her some tea, and she shook her head.

"I really don't need anything right now," she managed. "Please, stop offering."

Klaus chose to change the subject. "Shall we discuss the matter at hand?"

"Yes, anything," said Eisa, rubbing her forehead.

"Lucien did all of this to become like his maker," said Klaus. "And yet, my bite cannot kill an Original. What are we up against here?"

Kol winced. "I don't know. Unless we know what was in that extra vial that was added, it will be impossible to tell what this spell did to alter his bite."

"I might know what's in it," said Hayley as she walked in. Eisa refrained from looking at her. "Klaus and I found Lucien's R & D lab full of werewolves. He's harvesting venom, but not to find a cure. He's trying to create a more lethal strain."

"That's what he added, then," mused Freya. "He kept boasting about having something that would make him better than an Original."

Hayley continued, "Klaus is descended from one of the seven original wolf bloodlines. I'm descended from another. Lucien's venom... is derived from all seven packs."

Klaus's eyes widened. "Giving him a bite that not even I can cure."

"That's what we need, then," said Rebekah. "The seven different strains of venom. Along with Eisa's blood, and Freya's blood. That may be the cure."

"Or perhaps," offered Elijah, "his blood is the cure. Niklaus's blood is the cure for his bite."

"I don't think it's that simple," said Kol. "There is much we don't know about the logistics of a wolf bite and its cure. We thought that Nik's blood could cure any wolf bite. But this proves that not all strains of venom are the same. Nik was born to a witch and a wolf. He never tapped into his witch side, and only triggered his curse after becoming a vampire. He was born a wolf, and thus, as the Original hybrid, his blood can be the cure. But this combination of strains, and the fact that Lucien is not a wolf... his blood cannot carry the cure. His blood may be part of the equation, but it's unlikely to be the solution."

"Kol's right," said Eisa weakly, causing them all to look her way. "I don't think Lucien's blood is the cure. Isela has the venom, and she can study it. But we will need the seven individual strains and his blood to understand it better. Only then can a cure be forged."

"We will find a solution, Sister," said Freya, taking her hand. "We will keep this from hurting anyone else."

"This is all my fault," Eisa said, holding her temples and sniffling. "I was too impulsive, I killed Aurora, and I angered Lucien. And Finn... I'd just been telling him that I was afraid to die because I didn't know what would be waiting for me on the other side. He gave his life for me. Just like Aya did."

"This is not your fault, Eisa," Rebekah told her. "He made a choice."

"He valued my life more than his!" snapped Eisa. "For no good reason! He's hardly gotten to live, and he's died twice. I've walked around, doing only cruel things for centuries. You heard what he said— 'they lose a brother instead of a sister and a mother.' He thought my life mattered more just because I fall under two categories. He felt obligated to spare you all what he thought would be double the grief, when really—" her voice broke, "it would have been better for me to die."