Empath ‣ Klaus Mikaelson [1]

Nineteen

Talia woke up on Alaric's couch with a headache and a witch standing in front of her. She was immediately alarmed, forgetting most of the previous night's events as she was too tired to remember, and accidentally threw the witch across the room.

"Fascinating," said Alaric, rounding the corner with a cup of coffee in his hands. He placed the mug in front of the girl and sat down beside her.

Last night's events played through her head, so she promptly asked, "Who are you?"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"You said you were simply wearing someone else's body," she said, standing up. "You're not Al."

"She finally figured it out," said Katherine, sitting on a counter in the kitchen.

"Katherine? Okay, what the hell is happening?"

"Just tell the girl!" the doppelganger shouted in annoyance. "I can hear her heart beating a mile a minute and I'm hungry!" The veins appeared beneath her eyes.

"Take a bite out of her, and you must deal with me, Katerina," Alaric replied, approaching the vampire. "Once I'm back in my own body, of course. This seasoned vampire hunter is not my taste."

Talia had seen them talking, so she quietly snuck away and reached for the door handle to exit the apartment, only to have the witch see her doing so and snapping her wrist. She cradled it and cried out in pain.

"What did I make clear, Maddox?" he shouted. "No one hurts her."

"Let me go," she said. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know who you are and I sure as hell won't say anything."

"Let me wrap up your wrist and I will explain myself," he offered. "I can't exactly heal you until I'm back to myself, so at least let me do this."

"It's not like you'll let me leave. Your witch made sure of it."

"He will be properly dealt with."

She sat back down on the couch and waited for "Alaric" to exit the bathroom with the first aid kit. He opened it up and swiftly began wrapping Talia's maimed wrist.

A moment after taping the bandage wrapping, the man smiled and said, "This all must be quite confusing, I'm sure."

"Yeah, no shit," she grumbled, subtly nodding in appreciation for the care given to her wrist.

"Well, I am a man of theatrics, Talia, and fear my full answer will just have to wait."

Her eyebrow quirked at his manner of speaking as it was similar to Elijah's, though it couldn't be him.

He awaited a response but wasn't going to get one. Instead, she was going to ask questions.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

"I'd figure you'd ask who I am first," he exclaimed, a bit amused.

"You wouldn't answer that question, would you?" she asked.

"You pick up quick." He adjusted his position on the couch.

"So why am I here? Can you answer that much?"

"I feel protective of you, my darling Empath. When I felt you were in danger close by, a sixth sense awoke in me and I had to find you."

"Do you know why I was vomiting blood?"

"I assume it's been happening ever since you've discovered more abilities. If so, you've begun overexerting yourself simply by existing."

"Oh. Great."