Chapter Eighteen

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Levi
"Irisa?" I call. "Irisa!" I run out the door, listening for any sound, and try to catch her scent. When I do, I can tell it's headed back for town. "Shit." I mutter, and send out an SOS message to Stefan and Damon. There was no way she was in her right mind, not with wolfsbane in her system, not with blood lust on her mind. Tracking a young vampire...werewolf...witch with her particular gifts isn't easy. But catching her scent and following it, it's not as bad as it could be. Damon calls me and asks "What the hell is going on?"
"Damon, someone poisoned her, and she's under blood lust. She has no idea what she's doing but if she goes after someone, they will end up dead." I tell him. "Just get Stefan and try to find her."
"I'm kinda on my way somewhere, but Stefan will help you out. He's on his way. Explain to him when you find her what's going on. Later man." He hangs up, and I sigh.
I keep looking for her and when I finally find her, I find her at the clock tower, inside. And laying on the floor is someone who is holding wolfsbane, dead. His neck is broke, no blood anywhere. I would have assumed Irisa would have tried to tear someone apart instead of doing just breaking their neck. Irisa is huddled in the corner, sobbing and clutching her sides in pain.
"Oh god." I whisper, and fall to the floor in front of her.
"It hurts." Irisa gasps, and when she opens her eyes, I see a holographic glow, more intense than before, over her irises. "It hurts so bad."
"I know, I know." I pull her into my arms, and I'm rocking her back and forth when Stefan walks inside.
"What happened?" He asks, looking at the wolfsbane the guy is holding. "What is that? Did she..." He stops, and his mouth drops open. "Levi what's going on?"
"You can't tell Damon about this, Stefan. This stays between us." I tell him, and he nods. "The birthmark Damon is so interested in finding out what it means... I already know because I've been around long enough to know people like Irisa. I actually have a friend on the way to the house right now, who is like Irisa, who was supposed to be able to help tonight. Irisa is special, Stefan. She comes from a long line of royalty, werewolf royalty. Not just one family of werewolves, but two. The Apisi werewolf bloodline,which is the Lockwoods, and the Crescent wolf clan, which is where her birthmark comes from. They originate in New Orleans." I stroke Irisa's hair, trying to keep her calm now. "Tonight, she reached a milestone that most werewolves reach in time, though some don't. She killed someone, activating her curse." I look over at Stefan, and he narrows his eyes.
"You're not joking are you?" He asks.
"Do you think I would joke when Irisa is so damn upset, Stefan? She's in pain right now." I say, getting angry. "She's not just a witch or a vampire. She's a werewolf as well. Sheila Bennett calls her a tribrid, the only one of her kind, Stefan. Not to mention, she's a pure soul. She's one of a kind, and she's everything to me. Now, are you going to keep an eye on her while I take care of this body, or should I even bother trusting you since it was your fault she was poisoned in the first place?"
"Levi-" Irisa chokes out, "Don't." She whispers, and I sigh.
"Forgive me." I whisper back, hugging her tightly. Irisa swallows hard, and I kiss her forehead.
"She must have been poisoned by wolfsbane when Logan Fell had her in the car..." Stefan says.
"Probably by this stupid human." I say, looking down at him. "Irisa, how did you..."
"He was at the house. I could smell him there. I followed his scent here." She mumbles. He was waiting for me." She pulls up her sleeve, and I see burn marks along her wrist. "I didn't mean to kill him. I just... Pushed him. Hard. And he tripped, fell and I heard his neck break." She starts to cry again, and I nod.
"I know. It's not your fault. Even accidentally will trigger the curse. But listen to me, Irisa. You will only have to go through the full moon once. You're a true hybrid. You won't have to suffer through it after that unless you truly want to be in your wolf form." I whisper. "I'll be there for you that night. I promise." She nods, and I nod for her to go to Stefan.
Stefan hugs her and Irisa lays her head against his chest as she watches me pick up the wolfsbane in a handkerchief and lay it to the side before picking up the dead body, and leave the clock tower.
----
Irisa
Stefan lets go of me after Levi leaves, and I sit back down in the corner, my legs drawn up to my chest.
"You didn't mean to kill him, it's not your fault." Stefan says and I shake my head.
"He had to die. He was going to kill me." I whisper. "Even if it was an accident, it had to be that way. If I wouldn't have killed him, Levi would have."
"To protect you. Damon or I would have done the same thing, Irisa. Three of us would do anything to protect you. You just need to stop keeping secrets like the fact that you're a werew-"
"It wasn't me who needed it to stay a secret." I interrupt him. "Levi knows more than just one other werewolf, Stefan. He's protecting me, and Izolda, and the rest of them. I know that now. Now that I have Rhiannon's memories, I remember stuff I shouldn't."
"Like?" Stefan asks, settling down beside me on the floor.
"The way wood feels when it enters your heart after first piercing your spine, severing your spinal column." I whisper. "Killing to feed. Killing to...survive. Having more than just one epic love." I say, resting my head on Stefan's shoulder. "I remember when I was too sick to get up out of bed, and I was dying. I was close to my last breath. Katherine wanted Levi to turn me, but he said she must learn to sire her own line. So he helped her. I was... A creation of sorts. Katherine's very own personal collection had begun. She liked pretty things. Me. Your brother. You. Emily. We were all puppets to her. She thought that she could control us all. In the end, you and Damon got away. Emily is dead. I died. But I'm back, and Katherine is desiccating in the tomb where she belongs. We're free."
"I never got to tell you I loved you." Stefan whispers, and I lift my head a bit, looking at him in surprise. "She took that away from me." Then, his lips cover mine, and I let out a surprised gasp.
"What the hell, mate?" Stefan is yanked away from me by Levi, and Stefan looks over at me, startled.
"I was just-"
"Kissing Irisa, I seen. Where the hell do you get off kissing her like that? You and your brother need to learn some boundari-"
"Stop, Levi." I jump up from the floor, dizzy, and fall into him. "Whoa-"
"It's the wolfsbane. We need to get you home, now." Levi says, and glares at Stefan. "Mind carrying the wolfsbane? Izolda will need to see what kind was used on her."
"You still want me there?" Stefan asks raising an eyebrow.
"Clearly, if Irisa wants you there, I can't stop you." Levi tells him, and gently lifts me into his arms. "Up you go, love." He looks at Stefan. "You have your car, mate?"
"Yes." Stefan says, and leads us to it. Levi lays me down in the backseat, and takes the front passenger seat as Stefan drives. "Why won't you touch the wolfsbane?" Stefan asks Levi.
"Because, if I do, then I touch Irisa, she'll be in some intense pain, Stefan. That's why it's in the handkerchief." Levi says this like he's talking to a chid, and Stefan sighs.
"Great, thanks for the explanation. So you're basically giving it to me to hold onto so that I wont be around her, hmm?" Stefan asks, and Levi glares at him.
"Okay, listen here. I had to deal with your brother for nearly 150, Stefan. All I want is to be with Irisa, and not have another Salvatore get in the way of tha-"
"Shut up!" I shout, throwing open the car door, and Stefan makes the car come to a halt after I already have jumped out and skid across the ground. Levi jumps out, shouting my name. I groan, looking down as the cut on my arm heals before my eyes. "Whoa." I whisper.
"Irisa." Stefan sighs, having joined Levi.
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. You're both so loud that you're even louder than the voices in my head. Can't the two of you shut up for five goddamn seconds?" I demand.
"Voices in your hea-" Stefan starts.
"Irisa, can you still hear them?" Levi asks, touching both of my shoulders, and I shove him off of me.
"Stop. Please. Both of you." I huff, looking around. "I need silence. I just need quiet."
"Let's be quiet then." Stefan murmurs to Levi, and gently touches my wrist. "Come back to the car." He tells me. I nod, and the two of them follow me back to the car.
----
Levi
The problem with her still being able to hear the ancestors is that most werewolves can't when they trigger their curse...just like vampires absolutely cannot use magic when they transition.
Stefan gets Irisa to sit down on the couch and when she closes her eyes, we both see she's not asleep, but she's hearing the voices of the ancestral spirits speaking still. That's when there's a knock on the door, and I get up to answer it.
"About time you get here." I mutter, pulling the door open, and I step outside, closing the door behind me. Izolda sighs.
"Well, nice to see you too, Leviticus. You know, you sounded upset on the phone. I came as fast as I could."
"Well there's been a development. Irisa caught the scent of someone who was working for the vampire who took her and a human friend of hers from the school tonight, and the scent she caught, well it was human. She followed it. It was the person who poisoned her with the wolfsbane, Izolda, and she wasn't thinking straight." I tell her. "Irisa was protecting herself because he burned her wrist with wolfsbane and she pushed him. He fell and broke his neck."
Izolda's eyes widen as her mouth opens in shock. "Let me in now," She pushes past me, and goes inside. Stefan looks up at Izolda when she walks inside, but I shush him and Izolda sits down on the floor in front of Irisa, grabbing her wrists. Irisa's eyes pop open, and Izolda nods. "I know what happened, and it's not your fault. When one of them finds out, they try to hurt us, Irisa. But we have to protect our secret at all costs. You especially. You are royalty. You are the only female of the Apisi line, and you and your cousin Andrea are the last two direct descendants of the Crescent wolf pack. I did some digging, and if she doesn't take over as Alpha, you can eventually. If they'll accept you. You're the strongest one alive now. It comes with all of the burdens of the three races." Izolda says. "I know it's frightening, but you have Levi. He'll always take care of you."
"You hate me. Why are you being nice to me?" Irisa whispers.
"I don't hate you." Izolda shakes her head. "We 'wolves happen to be protective and territorial, Irisa. But Leviticus de Grèves was never mine. But he was yours. Twice, wasn't he? You somehow recognized that, without even having your memories?"
Irisa nods. "I was Rhiannon."
"I figured as much. Now, tell the ancestors to quiet down. You need to get some blood in your system, maybe some food, and then you need to rest." Izolda says. "And I'd like to see that wolfsbane..."
"Stefan." Stefan says, and Izolda nods. He hands it to her, and she takes it, holding it carefully in the handkerchief.
"It's a dark, semi-saturated wine red (red-purple). Pretty rare, it's an Asian variety. 10 petals. I'd say someone knew that she was a rare breed herself." Izolda looks over at me as she says this. "How many people knew about her being a siphoner-witch and a vampire?"
"Um, there was Bonnie Bennett, Sheila Bennett, Stefan, Damon, Elena knew she was a witch but doesn't know that she is anymore just that she's a vampire now, you, and me."
"Unless someone has been watching her." Izolda says.
"Levi." Irisa emits a low growl, and jumps up. "I told you we were being watched!"
"Wait, you knew?" Izolda looks between us, and then she stops, her gaze on me. "The girl is psychic and you ignored her warning?"
"I was hoping she was wrong. Or that it was Damon watching."
"Levi!" Irisa exclaims again, and that's when she smacks me hard, across the cheek. The sound echoes in the room. "How dare you! If you're going to try to make him jealous go do that somewhere else with someone else. I'll not have it." Her voice echoes as well, and Stefan cringes at the sound. She's never been this loud around us, and she's never hit me this way before. Damon, yes. Me, unfortunately, no. I'd screwed up.
"I meant that if it had been him watching, at least you had nothing to really worry about. I can handle Damon. But if someone is targeting you, I have to take care of it, Irisa. Clearly, it can't just be one measly human after you." I tell her, and she nods.
"Sorry I hit you."
"Sorry I didn't take you seriously enough. Gotta say, being on the receiving end of that... Not what I like. Now I see what Damon goes through." Irisa looks guiltily at me, and I pull her into my arms. "It's alright. I love you. Don't feel bad about it. You're just protecting yourself."
"Not against you I'm not. You've never hurt me, Levi." Irisa whispers, and that's when Izolda nudges Stefan towards the kitchen. "Why is it so hard for me to trust anyone?"
"Because you feel like everyone you've ever loved has betrayed you. But I promise you, I will never do anything to hurt you, Irisa. Just, stay here for now, alright? Stefan's coming back in to keep any eye on you while I get you some more blood and food, and then it'll be time for you to sleep." I tell her.
She nods, and sits down on the couch to wait.
I walk into the kitchen, and Stefan and Izolda both look over at me.
"So, I think she needs some time talking to Stefan." I say, and Stefan narrows his eyes at me. "Stefan, I know you love her. I heard you tell her right before you kissed her. Don't act like it's nothing."
"Levi, there's something you need to kno-"
"Something happened when I was with Damon today, didn't it?" I ask him.
"I messed up. I upset her, and I was trying to calm her down, and when she said she remembered everything about Rhiannon, that she had all over her memories, I had to ask her if she remembered what she said to draw me out of Katherine's compulsion before my father gave me vervain." Stefan admits.
"Did she remember?" I ask him.
"Did she remember?" Stefan demands, "Levi, I relived the whole damn thing, including Rhia's death."
"Wait-" I stop, "What?"
"What do you mean, you relived it?" Izolda asks.
"I was there. I didn't just see it... I felt it all. I could feel not just Rhia, I felt- I felt Irisa's presence inside of Rhia. I was disoriented but to me, Elena didn't exist anymore, and Katherine was just... Katherine but I knew she was forcing me to love her. Because Rhia-Irisa told me that Katherine was compelling me."
"Is that how it happened in 1864?" I ask him.
"Yes. But... Irisa wasn't there in 1864. It was just Rhiannon. Irisa became her former self in her memories, in...my memories. In the moments of her death, and right after, she was still there, Levi. Irisa was there, as Rhiannon, she was literally there, like she took over."
"What drew you out of the compulsion?" I ask him, and Stefan looks out to the living room where Irisa is leaning her head back against the couch. "Stefan?"
"She told me she loved me." Stefan admits. "When I asked her about it today, she said she felt that I deserved to hear it from someone who really meant it, not someone who was using me. She told me before she went up to shower than I deserved better, and kissed my cheek, Levi."
"That's why you were so tempted to kiss her in the clock tower." I state, and he shakes his head. "Then why?"
"It's more than that. Elena's right that you and Damon are drawn to her. I'm drawn to her. I always was. Just like Matt. Just like Jeremy. I guess there's just a few of us who can't help but love her, Levi. I'm sorry that you feel like you're competing with both Damon and me now, but I'm not sorry I love her. You remember that she said she felt unloved and different in this town. She deserves as much love from as many people as possible." Stefan whispers. "If I'm one of them, I'll be damned if I let anyone change that." Then he walks out into the living room and sits down on the couch to talk to Irisa.
"Looks like you really do have competition if Damon is as smooth talking as his baby brother, Levi." Izolda says.
"I shouldn't have made it feel like a competition. Irisa has always felt like an outside here. Now I know why. She has always been destined to become a tribrid. But, I hate the way this town makes her feel. The people in it don't deserve her. Bonnie... she's different. She's related to her, you know. Irisa's bloodline goes back to ancient Greece, and that's where her reincarnation started supposedly. But, this is it. This is all she has now. The true curse has ended, only for another one to begin." I look over at Izolda. "She'll only go through the first one, right?"
"Just the first full moon. Since she's different, she'll be able to control her transformations, Levi. But you'll need to get her blood lust under control." I nod, and begin to heat a blood bag. "Ew, what are you doing?"
"Irisa likes them warmed." I tell her.
"The stuff you do for her is incredible." Izolda says as I take it out of the microwave.
"Start making mac 'n cheese and don't say it like it's a bad thing. I love her." I state, and then walk into the living room. Irisa grabs the blood bag, biting into it immediately. "Take a breath, it'll be there in a minute, Ris."
"Shh." She grumbles, and keeps drinking.
"Alright. Well it's mac 'n cheese for dinner tonight. Hope you enjoy." I tell her and she nods, then holds up the empty blood bag. I take it.
"More." She says, her eyes begging me.
"Ris, how much do you honestly think your stomach can hold?" I ask her, and she crosses her arms.
"More than yours obviously. You're definitely a lightweight." She smirks, and Stefan laughs.
"She's not wrong." He reminds me.
"Oh, go blow it your arse, mate." I mutter, and both of them laugh some more. "Looks like someone won't be getting any goodnight kisses for a while. Or any kisses for that matter."
Irisa stops laughing, her mouth dropping open. "What?" She asks, shocked. "What did I do?"
"You killed a man, kissed someone else, or I should say two someone elses, making jokes because I don't drink alcohol often and I don't drink as much blood as you do. Must I go on, darling?"
"Kissing Damon was a mistake." Irisa spits the words out, and jumps up from the couch. "If you want to fight about something, maybe I shouldn't be here." She walks towards the door, and I grab her hand.
"Don't do that, Irisa. Come on."
"Don't you do that." And suddenly, I'm being shoved across the room, not by her hands, but by a force of magic much stronger than Irisa could ever be. "Oh my god!" Irisa shrieks as I land hard on the staircase. I sigh, uninjured, but a bit nerved. She rushes over to me. "I'm sorry, oh my god, I'm sor-"
I cut her off with a kiss, and she returns it carefully, her hands capturing my face. When I pull back, I whisper, "Don't apologize. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...done any of that. I shouldn't have said any of that. I love you. I'm so sorry."
"I love you too, Levi." Irisa says, tears streaking her cheeks. I gently wipe at the tears, then pull her into my arms. "I'm sorry I did that. I've never used that much magic before."
"It was impressive." Stefan says, and we both look over at him. "We need to work on your anger and aggression."
"I know." Irisa nods, "It's sort of what makes it possible for me hurt Damon at all. I don't want to hurt Levi though."
"Good to know." Izolda walks in with mac 'n cheese. "Cause, if you did, you and I would have a problem, pup. So, we need to get your anger and aggression channeled into protecting yourself and those you love instead of hurting those you love. The best way is for you to train. I'm guessing your friends have already told you this?" She looks at Stefan and me.
"We have. Damon has also mentioned it." I admit. "The two of them fought a bit already, and Irisa won, nearly staked him. She scared the living hell out of him."
"Sounds like an achievement to me." Izolda says. "First you need to eat. Everyday, she needs to eat a balanced diet and she'll need blood. She needs to train, everyday. She also needs to take up some sort of creative hobby. Something, dare I say it, to leave this crazy, supernatural world behind for a bit. In that time, I want none of you around her. Maybe she has a human friend who isn't afraid of her who can go with her to these things."
"Caroline maybe?" I look over at Irisa, and Irisa nods. "Isn't she like, good at everything?"
"Yes, I'm sure she can help me figure something out."
"Maybe not Caroline. She'll notice something is different about you." Stefan says.
"No she wont." Irisa argues. "Just because she likes you and is best friends with Elena doesn't mean she would realize anything is up with me."
"Whoa. Blondie likes you?" I ask Stefan, an eyebrow raised.
"I swear, if you say a damn word about this to anyone-" Stefan threatens.
"Please, I'm not Damon." I remind him, as I had once before with Irisa. "Wait, How did you know about this Irisa?"
"Please, Caroline has no filter. The girl talked about him nonstop for weeks after he arrived, even after he started going out with Elena. Not to mention, you're apparently going to have a June wedding, Steffie." Irisa tells him, smiling.
"With Caroline? No way, it's not happening." He rolls his eyes, but he's smiling.
"I can see it happening, Stefan." I tell him, and wink at Irisa. She laughs, and Stefan rolls his eyes.
"With Elena, yes. Definitely." Stefan says, and shakes his head. "Well, I've got somewhere I need to be."
"Mhmm. Night, Stef." Irisa hugs him, and then takes her mac 'n cheese.
"Night, Irisa. Nice meeting you Izolda. And Levi, here." He reaches into his pocket. "I picked this up for you today." He hands me a new phone. "Figured you'd need it."
"Thanks, I was just using Irisa's phone." I admit.
"Well, don't. I don't think her father would appreciate it."
"Right." I nod. "Thank you."
"I took my brothers' money to buy it. He was the one supposed to be buying you a new one today, so no problem." Stefan says, then leaves.
"He's going to marry Caroline, but it's not going to last more than a few hours." Irisa whispers. "But she'll never stop loving him, and he'll never stop loving her. He ends up with Lexi at Peace not long after the wedding."
"Irisa-" I stop, and look at Izolda. She shakes her head.
"She's not in trance. She already seen it, when he was here, Levi." Izolda says. "Irisa, this happens a long, long time from now. You can't tell him anymore about this."
"I know." She nods, and begins to eat, her eyes downcast.
Izolda takes my hand, pulling me into the kitchen. "She's different."
"I know." I admit.
"No, she's so different than the last time I met her, Levi. It's like, she absorbed some of her own former personalities, and her memories have changed her. Haven't you noticed?" Izolda demands.
"I know." I repeat. "I have. It's just, she remembers stuff from the past, so she's going to act different, Iz. She met me in another past life, when she was Lucia, when she was four. She remembers that past life as well. There may have been others but as far as I know, she doesn't know how to access them yet."
"Levi, the poor girl has been through so much already. What would you do if she's really been reincarnated since ancient Greece?" Izolda asks, and I stare at her, dumbfounded. "She'd be much older than you, Leviticus de Grèves. Try comprehending that her soul may be 2,000 years old, Leviticus."
I sigh, and nod. "You're right. I don't understand it. I don't know what I would do. If she were forced to experience each of those lives, she'd be in so much pain."
"Leviticus, she already is." Izolda says, a soft, sad smile on her face. "She killed someone. She triggered her curse. She's no longer the innocent baby you've been watching out for since she wandered into New Fallon. She's practically all grown up, and from the way she reacts to your touch, really, all grown up. And she's 15. What the hell did you think you were trying to prove to yourself? That she truly is Rhiannon? Just because the memories are there doesn't mean she's turned into her."
"She begged me, Iz." I feel tears filling my eyes. "You didn't see her. You can't know what it feels like to say no to her."
The look on her face changes, and she pulls me into her arms. "If she wanted it that badly, I can see why you had trouble saying no, especially if she has Stefan and Damon drawn to her along with two of her human friends as well."
"It was the night she died, and I made sure she completed the transition, Iz. She made her point across that not getting any older now. She's right. And I couldn't save her. In the end, I failed her, again." Izolda pulls back to look up at me, shaking her head.
"No, you didn't. Have you seen her? That girl in there is immensely powerful. I don't think there is much that could take her down now, Levi. Is she...sired to you?"
"Yes, but she does her fair share of disobeying me, even when I use the sire bond against her." I tell Izolda, and she smiles.
"You may be her sire, but there's only so far a vampire can go with it when she's only part vampire, darling Levi. You're going to have your hands full. But she's all yours."
"Iz, you'll stay, won't you?" I ask, and she nods. "I can't do this alone. I've tried and I'm not any good at this."
"Then Damon will soon learn what she is. What I am." Izolda reminds me.
"He can think you're my human friend." I crack a smile, and Izolda laughs.
"Right, like he'll believe that one."
"Please." I say. "I think it'll do Irisa some good. You'll be safer here. The police actually do their job here."
"I'll stay, alright, alright. Fine. But you're telling Irisa."
"Telling me what?" Irisa asks, standing at the doorway.
"Um-" Izolda stops, looking between Irisa and me.
"I invited Izolda to stay with us. So that you're not alone in this. You'll have someone with more experience to help you with your first transformation."
"That's fine. But I sleep with Levi, just so that's clear." Irisa gives Izolda a pointed look, and Izolda's mouth drops open. "You can have one of the other bedrooms."
"Irisa-" I say, and she gives me a look.
"It's fine," Izolda says, now smiling. "I get it, Levi. She's claiming her territory. I'm fine with any bedroom, I'd rather not sleep with Levi anyways." She says. "I actually have a boyfriend now."
"You do?" I ask in surprise.
"He's human so don't get any funny ideas, Leviticus." Izolda says. "And no, you will not be meeting him so you can harrass him anytime soon."
"Well how else will I know he's good enough for you?" I ask with a smile.
"Because I say he is." She gives him a look, pats him on the back and walks around towards the stairs. "I'll be looking for a room. Master bedroom is taken, I assume."
"Yep!" Irisa hollers. "Anything else is fine."
"Ris." I warn her, and her gaze turns on me. Her eyes are glowing green, and it makes her looks so intensely beautiful, I feel my heart skip a beat. I smile and she raises an eyebrow.
"You're mine. I'm making that very obvious." She says. "Don't make me have to make it any more obvious."
"What do you have in mind?" I ask her, and Irisa grins.
"Don't you wanna know?" She says, and heads towards the bedroom. I grab my new phone, and Irisa's, and follow.
-----

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⏰ Last updated: Aug 04, 2018 ⏰

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