Warrior | Stefan Salvatore

Chapter 1

Elijah was having a great day.

He'd just finished eviscerating the last of the Guerrera brothers, allowing Francesca to run away with the intention of sending her straight to where Hayley would be waiting to kill her off.

The heart of Antonio Guerrera fell out of his hand, splattering to the floor. There was silence, for a moment.

And then he heard a whimper upstairs.

Puzzled, he investigated. What he found was a young girl holding a knife and standing with her back to the wall.

"Don't come any closer," she said fiercely, though her voice wavered and her hand shook.

"Hello, there," said Elijah gently, wondering if maybe she was the daughter of one of the body guards Francesca always had at her side. He held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "I'm not here to hurt you."

He caught sight of a tear forming in her eye. "Aren't you?" she whispered. "You're him, aren't you? Elijah. They told me about you."

"I am Elijah, yes," he replied. "And you are—?"

"Graciela," she murmured. "Graciela Guerrera."

His face fell. He had no idea that Francesa had more siblings. This girl couldn't be more than twenty years old. She was practically a child.

"Go ahead," she said numbly. "Kill me like you killed my siblings. It's what you're here to do. My siblings told me you Mikaelsons hate us Guerreras for the bloodline we're from."

It dawned on him that she had no idea what Francesca had done to his family.

"Graciela," he said calmly, "I'm going to get you somewhere safe. Please, set the knife down and come with me."

She stared at him. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I'm not trusting you. I won't go anywhere with you. You're going to have to kill me."

"I do not wish to kill you. Please, you cannot stay here. Where are your parents?"

"Dead," she muttered. "Killed by a vampire a few years ago."

He'd taken the last of her family. Perhaps the five older Guerrera siblings had deserved it for the part they played in Hayley's temporary death, and in the near-sacrifice of Hope. But this girl clearly had nothing to do with it. And he could not just leave her here, with nothing.

"I am going to help you," he promised. "Have you triggered your curse?"

She shook her head, and he knew he had to compel her to comply, at least for now. He surged forward, and she reacted, attempting to stab him right in the face. He caught her hand, and coaxed the knife away from her. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Go to sleep."

She crumpled into his arms, and he scooped her up, deciding he'd have someone come and fetch her things shortly.

She'd been in the dining room, working on homework when suddenly, her siblings burst in, followed by a group of wolves. She got to her feet, moving to stand in the back corner as Francesca addressed her Pack.

"Klaus will be at his weakest for the next few hours," she said. "Once you retrieve the white oak stake, be ready to use it." She faced the wolf named Oliver. "You, take a group to the Compound and subdue him while he's still weak."

"What about Elijah and Hayley?" inquired Oliver. "There's no way they'll leave his side tonight."

Graciela could see just how nervous Francesca was by the way she started to pace. "Elijah can be weakened by our bites. As for Hayley... whoever rips out her heart gets a bonus!"