Shielding The Innocent - Niklaus Mikaelson

Chapter 15

   I barely slept last night. Rebekah and Niklaus are still no where to be found. Marcel and Elijah had vampires combing through the city all night, and nothing. Elijah, Marcel, and a few vampires left earlier to go to the cemetery in hopes of getting answers by cornering some witches.

   I'm out of my mind with worry. I know they technically can't be killed. However, I wouldn't put it passed the witches to find a way around that. Davina hasn't been gone that long and I don't want to have to mourn another person.

   Marcel returns before Elijah, and I can hear him downstairs ordering vampires on where to look next. I've stayed close to the banister so that I can hear any information.

   "Anything?" Elijah asks entering the court yard.

   "They're putting eyes and ears out everywhere." Marcel says. "Day walkers are working every contact we got. Cops, dock workers, guys in the Treme. Word is out. Anyone trying to earn a favor with me gets a lifetime of it if they find them."

   "Good." Elijah says. "I need a pen and paper." He adds walking away and into the study down there. Scrunching my eyebrows together I quickly shuffle down the stairs following after them.

   "Am I taking orders from you now?" Marcel asks following Elijah into the study as I trail behind him. "Or are we in this together?"

   "Pen and paper, Marcel." Elijah orders taking off his suit jacket and unclipping his cuffs. "Now."

   "Look, I want her back just as much as you do, you know." Marcel says. "Both of them."

   Marcel goes in search of a pen and paper. Elijah begins untying his tie and then moving to unbuttoning his shirt.

   "Kelsey." Elijah exclaims. "I'm glad your here." He adds before yelling. "HAYLEY!"

   "Uhh, what are you doing?" I ask as Hayley walks in.

   "Elijah." She smiles. "You're back. Did you find any--thing?" She starts to stutter as she realizes he is standing in the middle of the room shirtless. I smirk at her and nudge her arm teasingly. "What is happening?" Looking closer at Elijah I see various names all over his arms and chest.

   "Hasn't anyone told you that getting a spouses name tattooed on you is a huge mistake." I spit out in surprise.

   "I need you to make a list of these names." He says ignoring me and looking at Hayley. "Please."

   "Okay." She replies walking closer. She walks around him and examines his back, since I'm sure more names are placed there too.

   "Sabine?" Hayley says looking at his arm and reading a name. "Elijah, what is this?"

   "I believe they represent the names of the women that Celeste inhabited for the past two centuries." He explains as Marcel passes Hayley the pen and paper.

   "It's called a Devinette." Marcel cuts in. "It's old school. Kind of a riddle. Witches use them to teach their kids. Solve it and it disappears."

   "So, we solve this and we find Niklaus and Rebekah." I say walking up to them and standing next to Marcel.

   "Why?" Hayley inquires. "What's the point?"

   "Celeste forced me to make a choice between the two of you and my siblings, and now she means to mock that choice, taunting me with a childish game." Elijah explains. "The longer the game, the more they suffer. To find Klaus and Rebekah, we need to solve this riddle. The solution lies somewhere in the names."

   "The name next to Sabine's." Marcel replies pointing out the name. "Annie LaFleur. She's a witch that was shunned from her coven just over a year ago. Never knew why, but I can find out."