𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲, hayley marshall

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗬 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥

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chapter fifty four:
this feeling's old
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"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE." Leviana seethed, her forearm pushing against Nora's chest. Had this been a cartoon, there would have been hot smoke flowing from her ears.

Nora pouted and her shoulders slumped. "Are you saying you don't miss me?"

"I wasn't aware that you'd survived." Leviana muttered, her eyes looking Nora up and down subconsciously.

"Did you think I'd let myself die?" Nora asked, still pouting, "how else would I have found you again?"

Leviana didn't know how to reply, and luckily, her cell began to ring. Never once taking her eyes off of Nora, she pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket. She looked down to see Hayley on the caller ID. For a very brief moment, her heart bubbled like how it did before.

The moment was very brief after she remembered what had happened — apparently — six months ago. The imaginary fumes began to heat up, she clutched her phone tighter, her breathing got heavier with each breath.

"Something the matter, my love?" Nora questioned with a small, mischievous smile on her face that quickly fell when Leviana spoke.

"Shut the hell up."

Leviana clicked the green button and put the phone up to her ear. "Your timing is just lovely." She turned her head away from Nora, who was tilting her head skeptically.

"Not sure what that means, but I need your help." Hayley sighed. "I caught one of Tristan's guys trailing me. I knocked him out, brought him to the gym for a little Q and A. Marcel says it's Shen Min."

Leviana dropped the arm that was holding Nora up on the wall, causing the younger vampire to fall with a grunt. "What?" Worry arose in her chest. "Shen Min was known as the Red Sorrow before he was a vampire. Kill him immediately." She hung up the phone, leaving Hayley no chance to argue.

She looked back to Nora, who was standing back up while patting her bluish jeans down to remove any dirt.

"I take it she's important to you?" Nora said with irritation evident in her tone, no longer patting her pants down and fixing her hair.

Leviana muttered a spell under her breath that'd make Nora fall asleep for an hour or two.

"Shut up."

✶

AFTER LEAVING NORA WHERE SHE WAS, LEVIANA ENTERED THE GYM. Imagine her surprise when she saw Shen Min with one hand in Hayley's chest and one in Marcel's, "how poetic," He began, "two warriors fighting side by side. Dying together."

He might have ripped out their hearts then and there if Leviana hadn't stabbed him through the chest with the sword Mikael gave her with a few added spells of her own — one of which being a deadly poison that could spread through the victim's body, unless, of course, they had the cure which was just Leviana siphoning the poison out of them.

She forcefully removed his hands from Marcel's chest and then Hayley's.

"Are you okay?" She asked Hayley, who was gasping loudly. She nodded in response.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Marcel panted.

"I was just about to ask, Marcel." Leviana excused before turning to Hayley, "the next time I tell you take out the trash, please do it." She pulled out her sword and let his body fall to the ground. "Between blood loss, the bite, and the poison from my blade, I'm not so sure we'll have enough time to get answers."

"Then let's make the most of it." Marcel said.

Leviana knelt down in front of Shen Min, "I have questions that need for answers." She grabbed him by the neck and compelled him, "why were you following Hayley?"

"I was ordered to remove her from the playing field." He replied robotically. "She's an obstacle to the thing we truly want."

"Which is what?"

"Davina Claire."

"What do you want with Davina Claire?" She asked angrily.

"Tristan needs her to activate a weapon to use against your family."

"What weapon?"

He bit his tongue, literally, as he tried to fight the compulsion.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you." She mused, standing up and bringing him with her, "speak."

"I'd rather die." In a flash, he pushed her away and took off his daylight ring right in front of the windows.

✶

HOURS LATER, AFTER MARCEL HAD LEFT, HAYLEY AND LEVIANA FOUND THEMSELVES ALONE AT THE GYM. Hayley was sitting on a bench, scrolling through pictures of Hope. Leviana walked up behind her as Hayley spoke, "there was a time when all I wanted was to find my family. It consumed me. And then once I did, crazy as it is, all I wanted was a home and New Orleans is that home. And the Strix are trying to take that, aren't they?"

"They are." Leviana sighed, "New Orleans was my home once, then it was taken from me. We just got it back. I won't let it be taken again."

"Might be harder than you think." Marcel spoke, coming into the gym with Freya and Elijah by his side.

"Where's Rebekah? I thought you were supposed to be bringing her home." Leviana noted, but the upset look on their faces only made her panic, "Freya, where is Rebekah?"

"We need to call Klaus."

authors note, i feel like my chapters are progressively getting shorter and worse.